Finding what's lost
by ViviBlack
Summary: Cece thought her life was simple, until she woke up in a strange place and time, surrounded by people she thought were just characters in a story. Now, face with changing one thing to send her home, she's truly lost.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_I've been working on trying to finish this story and on editing it so there's fewer mistakes. I like all writers love to hear what others think of what I've written so please leave a review! Vivi_

Prologue

She was half asleep on the couch when it happened. So, the first thing that Cece noticed was that the television was no longer on and that the room was suspiciously dark when it contained a computer and a backup alarm clock that should be giving some glow with its green digits. It was about that time that she realised that she was lying in a bed and that it certainly wasn't her own. For one thing, her bed was a lot bigger and didn't have red curtains.

Cece's first reaction was to pinch herself. And then she shook herself. When neither of these returned her to the couch, she got up off the bed. A crescent moon could be seen in the window and she absently recalled from her online astronomy class that it was at its first quarter. Shaking her head, Cece reminded herself that she wasn't sure if that was what phase the moon was at, let alone that she shouldn't be seeing it out of a window in a stone wall. She looked around and found that she was in a bedroom of some sort with five beds that looked identical to one another. A frown found its way onto her face and she pushed her bobbed hair out of her eyes. She opened the door and found…a short hallway. After a bit of snooping, Cece found that the hall had six other bedroom that looked exactly like the other except for their windows. Her frown deepened and she raked her hand through her hair as she tried to deny the fanciful thought that had come into her head. She found a set of stairs and followed them into a rather large room.

She shook her head, but now the fanciful thought didn't seem so far-fetched. The room she was in looked a lot like the Gryffindor common room that was shown in the Harry Potter movies. There were differences, she'd admit but she would have sworn that the room was the common room if not for the fact that she was well aware that the room didn't exist because Harry Potter was simply a character in a series of books and movies.

In fact, just a few nights before, she had watched part of Prisoner of Azkaban while she had waited for the washer to get done so she could put her clothes in the dryer. She had had school the next morning and sat with her laptop in her lap as she worked on a project for her literature class. Her mind at that time had been on her seven year old daughter and how she felt she wasn't spending enough time with her when she had to spend time working on her homework for her college classes or at work that she'd much rather spend with Maddie.

Cece pulled her head away from her usual problems to think over her current one. The obvious answer was that she had finally lost her mind. With this thought in mind, she went out what appeared to be the room's only real exit. Standing in a large hallway, Cece turned back to the room in time to find a portrait being swung over the opening. Her eyes widened when the woman inside the painting moved.

"Uh, could you direct me to the headmaster's office?" Cece blurted out.

"Would you be looking for me?"

She turned to find an old man with sparkling blue eyes and a long white beard in dark blue robes. "Professor Dumbledore. Cece murmured. He nodded and smiled kindly as her world suddenly went dark.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter One

Cece looked at the man who had just entered the headmaster's office. The things she knew about him from the books came to the front of her mind and she barely kept from giving him a reassuring look. She bit down hard on her lip and the ridiculousness of her situation rose to escape her in a self- deprecating chuckle. Severus Snape took offence to the sound of amusement and scowled at the young woman seated before Dumbledore's desk.

She tuned out the explanation that was being given for her presence and thought over her circumstances or at least, what she had been told so far. Cece had a feeling that Dumbledore had something else to add to the facts as they stood. The facts were that she was herself and that the magical world did exist. The reason that one of their most famous wizards had become a part of muggle pop culture was uncertain at the moment. She was who she was, that hadn't changed, except if she was to believe the man and she really wanted to, the reason that Cece's mind was always slight hazy when she tried to recall her past at any age before she was eighteen was because she was a witch. For some reason, she had blanked that out but now she was back in the magical world and back at the school that she had attended for seven years. All of this sounded overly suspicious to Cece, who was still convinced that this was some sort of dream or at least some sort of delusion brought on by some until now unknown mental disorder.

There were two kinks in the works as far as Cece was concerned. The first was that she had graduated from her local high school at nineteen, had a daughter three months after that graduation, and now at twenty-six, was finally attempting to get a college degree in History. The second was that she was American and if the magical world was real then more than likely she would have attended a school closer to home. That was if she was really a witch, which definitely sounded odd.

Dumbledore had answered both these problems. He claimed that something must have happened to cause her to withdraw from the magical world. The reason she attended Hogwarts was because she was descended from a magical family whose bloodline had become squibs and all their money, which was now hers, had been put into a vault in Gringotts and under the control of the goblins until a descendent was found with magic. As luck would have it, she was the lucky winner.

"You can't be serious." Snape's voice caused the brunette to look up from her inner musings that had caused her to appear to be studying a patch of flooring near her feet. "She can't be more than sixteen." Cece rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand how it was that people always thought she was at most ten years younger than what she was. Normally, they thought she was eighteen or nineteen. She had always put it down to good genetics and the fact that sun exposure during the summer equated sunburns in her mind so she usually slathered on sunscreen when going outside. That was if she didn't have her nose in a book in the air-conditioned apartment.

"I am telling you, Severus. That this young woman is Ceciliana Cresswell."

"That name sounds slightly familiar." Snape turned towards her. "What house were you sorted to?"

"Uh…" She looked towards Dumbledore who smiled.

"Miss Cresswell will be starting her fourth year in Hufflepuff."

Cece's eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. "I what?"

"Yes, you are twelve years in the past, Miss Cresswell." He said as his eyes continued to twinkle.

"I don't understand." She sunk into her chair. "How can this be?" She shook her head. She was sounding like some damsel out of a badly written dime novel.

"I've read of something quite a bit like your situation, only the woman involved only travelled six months into her past." Dumbledore said rather mysteriously.

Cece shook her head. "I don't understand."

"The woman in question was rather powerful and accidentally sent herself to a time where she could change something that affected her keenly. This was a death of a loved one. Others have done the same, but she was the one to go furthest into the past, until now."

"But no one I love died or would have died at this time." She said after thinking this over for a moment. She tried to do the math in her head. She knew from some of the reading she did that she would have been in the same year as Ginny Weasley if any of this was true. That put her at the moment in Harry's fifth year. "I mean I don't even remember my time at Hogwarts and as a kid I was pretty unsocial according to the picture my family paints of me." Of course, they still seemed to think this of her.

He seemed to ignore this. "You have the ability to change the past; however you see fit, but be aware that there is a reason for you being here."

"You mean I'm suck here."

"Not exactly, I believe that when you correct whatever brought you to this time that you will return to the moment that you left. Of course, what you do from there. That is your choice."

"So, what am I suppose to fix? There are lots of things that happened this year." Cece frowned. "And wouldn't any change have a butterfly effect?"

"A what?" Both men questioned.

"You know the story where the beating of a butterfly's wings sends pollen from a flower and the pollen does something like make a person sneeze and this causes something, like dominoes."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful as if trying to understand what she was talking about. "I do believe that you may be right. So, you must be careful and decide what you must do. I might suggest that it could have something to do with the person you were."

"How so?" Snape asked getting into the conversation. He looked to be a little too interested in this line of conversation for Cece's comfort. "Miss Cresswell is much like the rest of her house."

"Not quite." Dumbledore smiled at the brunette. "She is or was a rather serious individual."

"So, I was a little on the solemn side when I was younger. What's that have to do with anything?"

"Perhaps opposites attract." Snape answered his eyes widening slightly. "And if your seriousness was enough to gain his attention than your opposite would be…"

"I believe you know where you are to take Miss Cresswell after she visits Gringotts, Ollivander's and perhaps a store or two within Diagon Alley." He smiled and produced an odd looking key that seemed made of two metals. The key when Cece took it looked rather like it had been made out of at least two keys. She noticed that Snape eyed the key for a moment before coming to his feet. She did like wise. "Miss Cresswell, I would suggest that you go by another name and perhaps appearance. If you will allow me…"

"Of course." She said. With a few waves and pokes of his wand, Cece felt a coolness fall over her. He produced a mirror. While her face was hers, it was slightly different. Her lips weren't as full, and her eyes were differently shaped and a dark brown that could be mistaken for black. Her skin tone was a few shades lighter, and since she had already felt she was pale enough Cece frowned over this. Her hair was the biggest change. Now falling just past her shoulders it was black in colour and much straighter than her rather unruly wavy locks.

"And perhaps a story about whom you are?" His twinkle suddenly looked mischievous. "An American cousin of Severus's mother's family visiting her cousin and who has become a champion of our cause."

Cece grinned when she saw the look on Snape's face. "Iliana Prince? How do you like it, Cousin Sevie."

"I do not find this funny, Miss Cresswell." She could see from the look on his face that he seemed to be questioning how she knew who his mother had been. It made her grin larger.

"Actually, it works wonderfully." She announced. "I can say that I lost my wand in transit and therefore need a replacement."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Very good, Miss….Iliana."

Cece went from one end of Diagon Alley to the other, dragging Severus along with her. She found that her vault was rather full of money. She had gathered a bit, along with a bag that interested her for it looked out of place with some of the things stored in the vault. Her questions about the vault had been answered by the cryptic goblin who had taken her deep into Gringotts. Severus as she now constantly called Professor Snape, which was difficult for she had been taught to give people respect and he seemed to elude a bit of standoffishness that commanded at least a bit from her, even if he wasn't that much older at

this time. In fact, after a bit of adding, she realised that he was the same age as her older brother.

When he escorted her to Ollivander's, she stopped outside the door and gave a shake of her head. Okay, she could see that perhaps she was in the world of Harry Potter. Or at least this was a very detail delusion. Either way, Cece knew one thing. She was not now, nor had she ever been a witch. She could not do magic, at least not the magic in the Harry Potter books.

"I can't do this."

Severus looked at her incredulously. "Of course, you can. Simply open the door and walk in. Wave a few wands and I'll be able to drop you into the care of a very capable and motherly woman."

"I'm not a witch."

"You most certainly are. I have taught you for the last three years. Now, Miss Cresswell." He opened the door and practically pushed her into the shop. He looked at the man behind the counter. "She needs a wand."

The man to Cece's surprise chuckled. "Let's see what we can do, shall we?" He smiled at her. "And what would your name be?"

Cece stared at him. Her mind blank for a moment before she stuttered out. "Ill… Iliana…P..Prince."

"Iliana Prince." He glanced at Severus for a moment. "Related then?"

"Yes, I'm visiting my cousin and unfortunately I lost my wand in transit." She gave him a weak smile. Cece didn't think she was the most skilled of liars but he quickly pulled out a few boxes.

"I'm certain that we have something perfect for you." He opened a box and pulled out a wand. "Holly and dragon's heart string." He handed it to her and she held in gingerly in her hand. "Give it a swish." He told her. She did. Nothing happened. Cece gave Severus a pointed look. "Not a problem. Try this one."

Six more wand produced nothing and Severus was looking rather intrigued by this. She took up the fourth and felt it pulse in her hand. Cece frowned. The pulse didn't feel right to her. "I don't think…"

"Now, now, just a quick flick." He smiled at her. "Willow and unicorn hair."

Cece sighed and gave the wand a flick. A shelf full of wands flew out towards the stores three occupants. "Sorry." She flushed.

"Not a problem." The man reached for another box.

She bent down to pick up a wand that had rolled to her feet. Before she picked it up she admired the pretty sheen that came from the wood. A happy buzz seemed to fill her upon picking it up. She made a sound causing the men to look at her. Smiling lightly, she absently flicked the wand and the boxes she had knocked down went back to their places.

"How unusual." Ollivander murmured as he took the wand gently from her hand. "Rosewood and phoenix feather, exactly nine inches."

"One of my lucky numbers." Cece said receiving the wand back. "How much?"

"Oh, no. This wand had been waiting for you for a very long time, Miss Prince. A very long time."

"But…"

"You heard the man, Iliana." Severus said as he took her by the arm and steered her out of the shop. He had a feeling that there was more than what Dumbledore had told him when it came to this woman. Why else had he seen fit to change her so much?


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Two

They arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place and Severus told her or more precisely he ordered her to behave and to not call him Sevie again unless she wished to spend time in St. Mungos. Cece stuck her tongue out at him as he turned to open the door after giving her a paper with the address written upon it. The sudden appearance of the house might have surprised her more if Cece's nerves hadn't already been so frazzled. She followed him into the house and walked carefully, suddenly aware of the clicking sound that the heels that she wore made on the floor.

"Snivellus." A voice announced lowly as they moved into the kitchen. Cece's eyes went straight to the speaker. Her direct gaze caused him to blink. "What's this, a female version? God couldn't be so cruel."

"And you really shouldn't be such a jerk." Cece replied as she pulled her hand through the hair that was currently the bane of her existence. She put her bag onto the table next to a redheaded male, who she knew to be Bill Weasley from his description in the books. Although she had to say that the books had never mentioned how he was incredibly sexy with an angel's face. She thought of what happened to him and hid a frown behind her hair as she turned back to her bag. She opened it and suddenly looked up in shock. "My bag has eaten my things, Sev."

Severus let out an impatient noise and shook his head at her. "With all that you put in that thing, it's probably buried."

Cece rolled her eyes. "Odious man." She muttered causing Bill to turn a laugh into a sudden cough. "You can go away now. You're absolutely no help, what so ever. I'd much rather flounder about on my own." She announced giving a wave of her hand as if dismissing him from her presence. "You've got me where I need to be, now go away."

"As you wish, Iliana." He gave a mock bow and stormed away as she knew he would.

"I've died and been sent to hell because of all my misdeeds." Cece sunk down onto the seat next to Bill and pushed her bag forwards. She put her elbows on the table, thinking of how her mother would have had something to say if she did such a thing before her and put her face in her hands. "I don't even believe in hell. I'm pagan." Another thing her mother would have had a word or two about.

Bill laughed out loud this time. "Hello, there. I'm Bill Weasley and you are?"

"Iliana Prince, at the moment." She said peeking out of her fingers at him. He held out his hand to her, so she did as she had been taught, she sat up and took it in her own for a brief moment. "It's nice to meet you, Bill." She smiled. How could she not help but smile at the dreamy redhead and think that Fleur was indeed lucky. "My cousin has little manners and didn't see fit to introduce me. I'm visiting from the US or at least I was. Now, I'm not sure what I'm doing." She frowned darkly. "I sound like some little girl."

"Not at all." He assured her. "You just sound a little lost."

Cece turned to look at Sirius Black for a moment. "And you are?" She questioned haughtily before giving a laugh and grinning at his look of confusion. "I know who you are, Mr. Black. I can read." She rolled her eyes and went back to looking into her bag. She knew she had tossed a couple hairties within the bag. She could see them clearly in her mind. She reached into the bag and pulled out...the hairties. "Well, call me a lamb and lead me to the

slaughter." She murmured as she looked into the bag that appeared to be empty.

"Excuse me?" A rather harried looking gentleman questioned. Cece met his golden eyes and realised what she said as from behind her she heard Black's chuckle. She flushed and bit her bottom lip.

"Don't tease her, Moony. I rather like her."

She turned to met Black's dark gaze again. "Oh, please, you don't even know me."

"I have a feeling that you're nothing like your cousin."

"I would suppose that I'm not." She replied then grinned. "After all, I'm much prettier." He was laughing when four rather rumbled redheads and one brunette came into the room with a woman who exuded a motherly feeling, the kind of feeling that Cece's mother let off on her good days. They looked at Sirius, at Cece then at Sirius again.

The woman frowned. "Sirius, what have you done?"

"You're in trouble." Cece grinned largely at the man who was a bit more scruffy looking than the movies did justice to, but his eyes were rather captivating or at least Cece thought they could be if he wasn't such an ass. "And I haven't a clue what you've done."

"I don't either."

Bill simply smiled. "Mum, this is..."

"I know exactly who it is, Bill." She announced. "Oh, Sirius."

Cece came out of her seat and moved so that Sirius was between her and the woman, when she turned and pointed her wand at her. "Suddenly, I'm scared. Should I be?" She questioned as she quickly braided her hair and fixed a hairtie on the end. "I know that my cousin isn't the easiest fellow to get along with but...this is really… something."

"Molly, calm down. This is Snape's cousin from America." He glanced at Cece for conformation.

"That's the story, we're going with." She announced and moved out from behind Sirius. "Hello, ma'am. I'm Iliana." She stuck out her hand was relieved to be given the woman's hand, which was no longer holding a wand with intentions of using it.

"I'm sorry, dear. I thought…" She trailed off giving Cece a warm smile. "I'm Molly Weasley. These are my children, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. I believe you've already met Bill. And this is Hermione Granger."

Cece gave them a nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Will you be staying for a while?"

"I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be here." She answered truthfully.

"Well, you'll need a room. I'm sure there's one we can clean out rather quickly."

"I'll help." Cece volunteered.

"No, dear. You're a guest." The five let out a groan.

"I'm much rather help then just sit around. It would keep me from getting antsy."

"If you insist."

"Absolutely." Cece smiled and saw that except Mrs. Weasley, everyone was looking at her as if she had lost her mind. "But I need to go and do something first." She announced as she walked out of the kitchen and out of the hall. Once Cece was out of the house, she paused on the sidewalk unsure of which way to go.

"Took you a bit longer this time, Miss Cresswell."

"You shouldn't be calling me that, Professor Snape." She replied heatedly as she turned to study the man. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. Other than Dumbledore, you're the only one that I can talk to."

"I haven't a clue why he brought me into this." He replied darkly.

"Because he trusts you." He simply stared at him. "And maybe he finds you sexy." He looked stricken. "Oh, for goddess's sake, Sevie, lighten up. Joking occasionally won't kill you."

"You've changed."

"You don't know me." Cece sighed and started down the sidewalk, forcing Severus to move with her. "I'm not sure I even know myself. Sure, I joke around but half the time I'm so unsure of myself." She shrugged as if to say it wasn't important. "Anyway, who did you bring me to the Order's Headquarter's for?"

"Can't you figure it out?"

"Do you feel a silly Hufflepuff like me could?"

"Absolutely."

"There's a lot of choices." She said after a moment of silence between them. "What if I make a mistake? How would I even know if it was a mistake? Would that send me back home or would I be stuck here?"

He was quiet as they continued to walk. "I don't know, Iliana. All I can say is to think your choices through."

"I suppose I'll have to."

"You do realise that Iliana Prince can not be twenty-six years of age. She could be no older than twenty."

Cece looked up at him in question. "What? Why not?"

"My cousin and his wife died years ago, so there's no one but myself to question your story, except that everyone knows that Helena was pregnant when she visited England a little over twenty years ago. She lost the child but as I said, only I know enough to question your story."

"I can't be six years younger than what I am."

"Actually, at this moment in time, you would be six years older."

"No one would believe that I am twenty."

"Actually, you could pass for younger but twenty fits the story so much better."

Cece shook her head. "I really don't know what I'm supposed to do and changing my age doesn't change that, any more than changing my identity."

"Nor does it change you." Severus said cryptically. "You know where to find me and Dumbledore."

"Bye. And, Severus?" He turned and looked at her. "Thanks." He gave a brief nod before disappearing with a slight pop.

Cece was humming a tune when she re-entered the house. It was then that she ran right into one of the Weasley twins. To be exact she crashed into him and if not for him having rather quick reflexes the two of them would have crashed to the floor. She was certain that she had to be a rather bright shade of red when he let out a laugh as he let her go after steadying her on her feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry. I'm a horrible klutz and I wasn't watching where I was going and…"

"It's okay. No one's hurt."

"I know. It's just…." She trailed off and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"You said that."

"So, I did." She gave him a light smiled. "Bye then."

"Bye, Iliana." He gave her a grin. "I'm Fred by the way. In case, you were wondering."

"I was." She grinned before disappearing down the hall, leaving him watching after her.

Cece entered the kitchen to find that Bill was gone but Sirius and the man she believed to be Remus Lupin, due to the fact that Sirius had called him Moony gave it away, sitting at the table. She stood in the doorway for a moment unsure of what she should be doing. Truth be told, Cece was scared out of her wits. She was in a crazy situation and even if she believed what she had been told about her being a witch; there were still too many unanswered questions that she didn't know how to even begin to answer. So far, she was in a house with three dead males or at least they would be in time.

She could change that. She had read the books, seen the movies, read countless fics on the internet, and spent more than a little bit of time trying to figure out how certain things could have been changed. She would have liked it even better if she had showed up a year before where she was now, but at the same time, she wondered about the idea that had been in her mind since Dumbledore had told her of the woman who had held the record before her. Was it possible that she was here simply for one person and if so, who and then how did

she fix whatever was wrong? Due to the time that she had come back to, Cece knew the obvious choice would be Sirius but while she could admit that he was rather handsome in a way. There was something about the way he had greeted her that rubbed her wrong and she wondered what it was. Then there was the whole age difference. It might not matter at the moment but he was really quite a bit older than what she was.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked from the room she stood halfway in.

Cece shook herself out of her stupor and found that both males were looking concerned. "I'm sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Must be something important." Remus said softly.

"I'd say." She let out a sigh. "Do you know where Molly is? I promised that I'd help her clean and cleaning always helps me to sort my thoughts." She let out a self-depreciative laugh. "Sounds strange, but I've been called that a time or two."

"Molly's upstairs. I'll show you." Sirius stood up. "Have fun, outside." He seemed to put a little more feeling in the last word and Cece remembered reading about how he hated being stuck in the house. "Remus has to meet some contacts about something. I'm sure you'll hear about it if you're here for the meeting tonight."

"I really haven't any other place to be." The words were so true that Cece tried not to frown. At the moment, this was the only place where she could be.

"No need to sound like that. It could be worse."

"I'm sure it could be." Cece replied.

They both fell silent until they reached a room on the second floor. Sirius smiled at the group assembled within it. "Molly, I brought you another helper. Have fun, Iliana." He disappeared from behind her and Cece smiled at the group.

It wasn't long before the room was rather clean. Her thoughts weren't much clearer than what they had been before she started helping. If only she knew what she should be doing or who she was there to help. Letting out a sigh, Cece turned and found herself once more almost knocking someone over.

"I told you, George. Our lovely new friend can't get enough of me."

"Oh, Fred. I'm…"

He put a finger over her lips stilling her words. "Now, you're not going to start that again are you, Iliana?"

She pulled away from him. "No, heaven forbid that I apologise for my own clumsiness. What's the world coming to that a person would actually take credit for doing something someone else might see as an accident?" The twins looked blankly at her. "Listen, this has been lovely, but I need to think."

"About me?"

"About something that has nothing to do with you." Cece returned, leaving him speechless, while George laughed like a hyena.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Three

When it was time for the meeting, Severus arrived to find Cece curled up asleep in a chair in the library. A book had fallen off her lap and lay open on the floor before her. He picked it up and studied the title. His lips tilted in a thin smile. What an odd little Hufflepuff, he thought to himself. A dusty old tome on wizarding history instead of one of the more tantalising reads the room had to offer. He wasn't surprised to find that she had been reading. He wasn't sure if she had been more thrilled with the candy shop or the book store in Diagon Alley. It simply surprised him that her choice was so... educational for a Hufflepuff. Perhaps, Dumbledore was right and he really did take things at face value too often. The young woman was quite singular.

Of course, he had found her constant apologising and questioning a bit irritating. She seemed so unsure of everything about her and herself for that matter. Yet, at the same time she seemed to give off an air of confidence as if she knew that she was something special. He closed the book and sat it down on the table as he wondered if he should wake her. There was something instrumentally innocent about her at all times but especially at this moment.

He studied her charmed face for a moment and tried to call forth the woman that she had been when he first saw her in Dumbledore's office. After leaving her at the Order's headquarters, he had gone to the headmaster with a few questions. The answers that he got weren't enough for it seemed that there was a lot more to Miss Cresswell, than even Dumbledore felt uncomfortable with speaking of at this time. The only thing he said was that she mustn't be harmed, especially the younger version of her. And that it was important that no one found out about her. Dumbledore seemed to think that was enough for him to know.

He turned away from the sleeping female. It was best that she slept while she could because obviously she was here for something very big. Severus met the eyes of one of the Weasley twins. He had been thanking whatever divine power there was that this was their last year since the summer had started. Without a word, he left the young man and strolled into the kitchen where the Order was gathering.

Fred looked over the dark haired female. He was surprised when she suddenly shot up without him making a sound. Her dark eyes were slightly blurry as if she hadn't woken up completely yet.

"Maddie?" She murmured before giving a shake of her head and frowning deeply over something. She came to her feet and took a deep breath as if troubled about something.

"Iliana? Are you alright?" He asked, drawing her attention to him.

"Fred?"

He couldn't help the smile that spread with the fact that she said his name and not both or simply George's. "That's me."

"I'm fine. Just tired." She yawned halfway through this. "I'm going to go upstairs to bed."

"Want some company?"

"Even if I did you are way too young for me." She returned with a shake of her head. "See you in the morning, Freddy."

He grinned largely. "Absolutely, Illy." She let out a laugh as she passed him.

The next morning, Cece woke with worries that wouldn't leave her alone, and these ones had nothing to do with her current situation. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was currently surrounded by people who made it impossible for her not to believe that she really was at this moment in time in the middle of the Harry Potter series. Or maybe it was the feeling of her new wand in her hand. Either way, her mind was mainly on her daughter and what her being in past might mean for Maddie. After spending an hour, she decided there was nothing she could do at the moment and to think more on it later.

She stared at her new sharper features in the reflection of the mirror. Her face was thinner and the long hair fell in tangles. She had been wearing her hair in a bob for almost two years. She had always wanted to cut her hair short but felt her face too rounded for anything shorter than her bob. Now, with her face charmed thinner and a bit less rounded, Cece was curious about how it would turn out. If it looked bad, she could just charm it back. Well, she could if she knew the charm to use.

Cece's eyes fell on the book sitting on the nightstand and smiled at her reflection. She simply needed the right book and the best place to find it would be at Diagon Alley. She dressed quickly, throwing a dark red robe over a pair of black pants and a white button-down shirt. Looking at the hair, she gathered the sides and braided them together, leaving the rest down. She reached into her bag, her mind on her make-up case that would be sitting on her dresser at home. Her eyes widened when she drew out the red and white plastic case. She spent a little extra time playing with the make-up in her bag before heading downstairs and towards the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen.

"Good morning." She smiled as she took the open seat between Sirius and Bill, which put her across from Fred. She gratefully received the plate that Molly handed her.

"Sleep well?" Sirius asked with a mischievous grin. "All the way through your first Order meeting?"

"I was tired, besides what could have been said that concerned me?" She grinned back as she turned towards her food. "I'm going to Diagon Alley this morning. Do you need me to pick anything up for you, Molly?"

"Oh, no, dear. Thank you for asking." She smiled warmly.

After breakfast, Cece found herself using the floo network for the first time in her memory as hazy as it sometimes seemed. She landed rather ungraciously in the Leaky Cauldron, feeling like she had eaten her way through soot in the fireplaces she passed. She was muttering to herself when she bumped into someone when she took a step backwards away from the floo.

"Watch yourself." A male voice announced haughtily.

"Can't do that from the back of my head." Cece returned. The words came out before she could stop them and let her hair fall over her heated face for a moment before looking up to find a man who she was quite certain was Lucius Malfoy. He was glaring at her. His eyes were a rather intriguing shade of grey and Cece felt slightly frightened but determined not to show it. She tossed her head and gave him what she hoped passed for a haughty look. It must have for he blinked.

"You look incredibly familiar." He murmured as his eyes swept over her. "Your name?"

"Perhaps if you ask nicely." She replied with a smile that had little to do with happiness or being nice. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her but at least she was acting the part of Severus's cousin. A slight noise made her take notice of Lupin out of the corner of her eye. He looked more than a bit surprised and worried.

"You're American." He said this while wrinkling his nose slightly as if smelling something bad.

"What a good ear, you have." Cece returned in a tone she might have used in congratulating Maddie when she was younger. "Now, I'm busy and you're in my way."

"Americans think their bloodlines are old when they are normally simply descendants of mudbloods."

"My father was a Prince and my mother a Rosier." The words came out quickly and Cece was glad that she spent some time talking to Dumbledore and Severus about who she should say her family was. When she heard him suck in a breath, she barely held back a victorious smile.

"Are you visiting your cousin?"

"And if I am?"

"Perhaps I could invite the two of you to the house for a party that my wife and I are giving."

Cece frowned. "I don't even know who you are."

"You shall, Miss Prince." He murmured, taking her hand and bowing over it for a moment before leaving her dumbfounded. She turned towards Lupin but he shook his head at her and she gave a quick wink before heading out towards Diagon Alley.

Upon returning from her excursion, Cece sequestered herself into her room with the book she had found and a pair of scissors. Her oldest sister, Juliana would be horrified to see Cece cutting her own hair. Julie was a hairstylist and the only one who touched Cece's hair normally.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, put the scissors on the hair and closed her eyes. The unmistakable sound of hair being cut sounded followed by a thump as the long length of hair fell to the floor. Cece stared at the hair on the floor, then looked up at her reflection in the mirror and promptly burst into peals of uncontrollable laughter.

About two hours later, Cece admired the cut that had taken a number of charms and quite a few snips of the scissors that sat on the dresser before her. Her hair was short, the longest section being the long fringe that fell into her eyes. She looked past her reflection when the door to her room swung open.

"I heard you have a new… haircut." Sirius stumbled over his words a bit when he caught sight of the dark haired woman. "What did you do to your hair?" Fred and George who had been passing joined him in entering the room. Their eyes going immediately to the hair piled at Cece's feet before looking questioningly at her. There was quite a bit more hair than what had been on her head.

She flushed. "It took a bit to get it right." She said as she picked up her wand from next to the scissors. She gave the wand a decisive flick and felt a surge of pride when the hair disappeared.

"Molly wanted me to get you for dinner."

"Am I being served alone or are there vegetables as a side dish?" The three males snickered.

"I personally hope it's you alone." Fred said. Cece knew it was Fred because George had never really spoken to her in the way that Fred seemed to enjoy.

"Once more, Freddy, you're too young." She said with a shake of her head. "I'll be down in a moment." She said as she practically pushed the trio out of her room. Once alone, she opened the book to a page that had caught her interest and pointing her wand at the long fringe murmured the charm three times. She looked up and studied the deep red streaks that now sliced through her currently black hair and grinned. "Much better."

Cece's sudden change in appearance was the main topic at dinner. She could no longer hide her flushing cheeks but she was happy to learn that her look was well received. After dinner, the house's inhabitants settled for a lazy evening with most of them settling in the library. Cece joined the house's younger members in a game of Exploding Snap which she seemed to pick up rather quickly after getting her hands singed the first time.

The arrival of Dumbledore was quite unexpected. He smiled indulgently before asking Cece to join him for a moment in the kitchen for he had a bit more information for her. She gave her cards over to Sirius and followed the headmaster into the empty room. He pulled out a book and handed it to her.

"This book was written with the help of the woman that I told you of."

Cece glanced at the cover. "This is in..."

"Italian, but I've taken the liberty of finding you a rather ingenious charm that will translate the words for you."

"That's wonderful. Thank you." She flipped through the book. "Do you think it will help? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do or for that matter how I'm supposed to do it."

"Figuring out the first part will make the second much easier and perhaps the book will help."

"Well, I need all the help that I can get." Cece returned. Her charmed dark eyes studied him for a moment. "Can't you give me a clue as to who you think I might be here for?"

"I believe if you think about it, it will be quite explanatory." He patted her shoulder. "Simply think of the person that you were and that you are."

"The are is easy. It's the was I have a bit of a problem with." Cece gave him a brief smile before heading upstairs to put the book in her room. She ran a hand through her fringe before heading back towards the library. She only got as far as the hall before running into one of the twins. Her eyes widened slightly when he pulled her into an embrace instead of settling her on her feet.

"You may say that I'm too young for you, Illy, but you certainly like being in my arms."

She tried to pull away but found that he wasn't about to let her go. "Has it escaped you that I might just be clumsy and not paying attention to where I'm going?"

"Thought about that but I've noticed you've not ran into anyone else." Fred grinned. "Just admit that you're attracted to me."

"I'm not…" Her words were cut off by his mouth. Her eyes widened for a moment before they fluttered shut. She curled her fingers into fists at her sides as he expertly deepened the kiss. Just as Cece was about to give in and bring her hands to his chest, he pulled away.

He stood for a moment before her before pulling a hand through his hair. "Maybe I was wrong."

"Maybe." Cece murmured and bit her lip to keep from calling him back. This was crazy, even if she was supposed to be twenty that still made her years older than him. It was better that she just focused on her reason for being in the past and in the missing section of a Harry Potter book.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Towers school belongs to Dream4 in honor of one of my favourite stories by her which can be found in my favourites._

Chapter Four

The next day, Cece closeted herself into her room right after breakfast. She lay across her freshly made bed and became engrossed in the story that seemed more like a piece of fiction than anything else. The woman, whose real name was concealed, had gone back six months after the death of her husband. This happened not once but three times until she one day woke up with her husband in bed next to her. It reminded Cece way too much of a Sandra Bullock movie for her to have given the story much consideration if not for the fact that she was currently in the past.

She fully believed she was in the past because the only other scenario that could explain her current predicament involved padded rooms and straight jackets. Either way, after reading the book, Cece knew she had to put a lot of thought into what she was going to do or how she was going to accomplish it.

When there was a knock at her door at some time around noon, Cece looked at the parchments she had scattered about the room and for a moment rushed about the room until she remembered that she was a witch.

"Accio parchments." She called and felt a deep-seated sense of accomplishment when the papers flew into her hand. She tossed them into her bag and flung open the door to find a rather startled Sirius. Her brows rose slightly in question.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Thinking."

He gave a nod as he pushed past her and into the room. "You seem to always be thinking. Do you ever do anything else?"

"Yes." She turned and watched as he picked up her bag and frowned when it appeared empty to him. It had taken her a while to figure out that she had to know exactly what she wanted when she pulled something out of the bag that seemed to hold anything and everything and still appear empty. "Do you mind? This is my room."

"My house." He returned.

"I can leave."

Sirius looked startled. "I was just curious to hear about you."

"About me?" Cece questioned, confused about why anyone would be curious about someone as insignificant as her. Then she remembered that as Iliana Prince, she wasn't insignificant. She was Severus's cousin.

"Yes, you, your family, and your friends, especially your friends, like Lucius Malfoy."

"Who?" She kept the question to one word, so she didn't incriminate herself.

"You don't know?" He shook his head. "How is that possible?"

"One, I'm American. Two, I've been here for less than a week. Three, I'm terrible with names. Four, I just don't like people all that much."

A barklike laugh escaped Sirius and he grinned at the dark haired witch before him. "You most certainly are not like your cousin."

"I can't imagine why." She replied dryly.

"What school did you say you attended?"

"I didn't." At a look, Cece added. "Towers in the States." She gave a shrug. "Not that it matters."

"Any muggleborn friends."

"How about muggle friends, would that satisfy this line of questioning or would you like to know how I like my coffee?"

He grinned. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Depends on my mood, sometimes dark, sometimes light, sometimes sweet."

"Sometimes not." He grinned.

"Now, can you leave me alone?" She said pushing him out of the room.

It was Remus who told Cece about the man who she had ran into in the Leaky Cauldron. She wasn't too surprised to find out that it was Lucius Malfoy. She was surprised when she was interrogated about what was said between the two of them by Mad-Eye even with Remus protesting all the way.

Mad-Eye wished to know what was said, who said it, how it was said, what expression was on the person's face when they spoke. He gave up when Remus answered the last question with the word, 'repugnance,' in describing Cece's reaction to Malfoy's invitation. Those in the Order seemed to quiet down after that.

"Didn't your cousin tell you who the purebloods were that you should be friends with?" Sirius questioned.

"Didn't your mother teach you manners? Or didn't she have any herself?" Cece retorted.

"Are you saying that your cousin doesn't have friends?"

"No, that's not what I was saying. What I was saying is that even if he did tell me such a thing I wouldn't be inclined to listen. Obviously, you don't listen to what doesn't concern you or think about how you might have turned out differently."

"I think you would have been in Ravenclaw if you had been at Hogwarts, but then again it took a lot of courage or stupidity to say what you did to me."

"So, I might have fit right in Gryffindor."

It took time for Cece to come to the belief that the kiss she shared with Fred was simply that, a kiss. There was something about the twin that she couldn't put her finger on and it drove her crazy until she made the decision to simply avoid him and his twin when not in a situation where there were a lot of other people present and it had been surprisingly easy for her to do.

Reading the story about the woman had given Cece the idea that it was simply one thing that she had to change that would change everything and then she would wake up at home on the couch with Maddie in her room and that was all that Cece wanted.

For some reason she blocked out the fact that Harry was bound to arrive a short time after she landed at the Black house until a week after her arrival, a noise called her into the next bedroom. Opening the door, she found Ron and Hermione being pecked at by a rather upset Hedwig. She raised her brows at the pair and the bird and stepped back into the hall. A grunt escaped Fred as she collided with him.

Cece moved away from him. "Sorry, Fred. Do you have some sort of magnetic pull that makes me crash into you ever time we meet?" She asked with a laugh.

He looked a bit startled then grinned widely at the dark haired witch. "A magnetic pull? Like an attraction?"

"I'm not doing this." She shook her head at him and went back into her bedroom. She didn't realise that he had followed her until the door closed with a distinct click. Cece swung around and stared wide eyed at him. "What do you think you are doing?"

He stayed where he was by the door and eyed her for a moment as if suddenly afraid that she was going to curse him within an inch of his life. "I wanted to apologise for my behaviour." She blinked. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I don't regret it, mind you, but we don't know one another that well and…"

"Freddy, this is really sweet but there really isn't a reason for you to do this." His demeanour brightened. "It didn't really mean anything." His face fell. "I mean it was a very nice kiss and all but…" He burst into laughter. "Oh, for goddess's sake, go away." She opened the door and pushed him out.

"Hey, Illy?"

"What?" She paused and leaned on the door slightly.

"You're the only one who can call me that."

"Call you what?"

"Freddy." He gave another grin before leaning forwards and brushing his lips across hers before apparating from the spot he stood.

Cece made a disgruntled sound and went back into her room. A knock at the door caused another sound to escape from her as she crossed the room and threw open the door. Sirius stood before her grinning.

"I would say he's a bit young for you since you are old enough to be in the Order and he isn't…"

"I've told him that several times, but he's the most hard-headed male that I've ever met."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty." She responded, remembering the story she had to stick to.

"That's only three years."

"It's still three years." She replied.

"I'm far older than you."

"That's not the same."

He grinned. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I didn't mean it that way. Oh, don't give me those puppy dog eyes, Sirius. I just

don't want to get involved with anyone right now."

"I was just joking, Iliana. As lovely as you are, I don't think I could stand being involved with someone so closely related to Snape."

"That's one thing I've got in my favour. How come that doesn't work with Fred?"

"He's young and horny."

Cece's eyes widened for a moment before she burst into peals of laughter. Her laughter subsided into giggles and she leaned against Sirius, letting him support her weight. "I can't believe you said that."

"If I was his age and face with a woman like you, I'd be single-minded too."

"Thank you so much for that." Cece shook her head and followed him out of her room. "What did you want? Just to pick on me about my admirer?"

"Order meeting. Picking on you is just a benefit of being the one that was sent up here." He grinned. "Better make sure that Molly doesn't get wind of it."

"Wind of what?" Cece asked as they neared the stair. "There's nothing going on between the two of us. It's very one sided."

"She would have no reason to believe that you haven't been encouraging the fellow."

"Gods." She said in horror.

"Exactly."

"I've told him that he was too young what else can I do?"

"I don't know. If he's anything like me he wouldn't give up unless there was someone else."

She was thoughtful about this as they neared the kitchen. "Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you be willing to help me?"

"Help you what?"

"Help me turn him away. Just pretend that there's something between us until he goes off to school. That's what a little over a month?"

"No way."

"It would piss off Severus."

He stopped and eyed the dark haired witch. "I'll think about it."

During the meeting, the two sat together. Sirius gave Cece little stories about the Order members who were present and she told him what she thought of each person by the way they looked. Either way, the pair laughed and whispered throughout the meeting. They had become something of friends, which made it clear to at least her that she wasn't in love with him. He reminded her of a friend of hers, who she had once fancied for a bit until she realised that they had nothing in common, except that he was cute.

Their inattention to the meeting was noted by most of the members and afterwards Severus called his cousin to stay with him for a moment. She reluctantly stayed, expecting something from him about her attachment to his enemy. Instead he surprised her by pulling out a creamy white envelope.

"Lucius Malfoy was highly impressed by your pretty manners." Severus said dryly. "When did you meet him?"

"Right after I got here. I went to Diagon Alley and ran into him. He was being a pretentious snob and I just gave some of his snobbery back to him." She shrugged. "He didn't tell me who he was. Remus was there and he told me when I asked later when I got back here."

"We've been invited to a little gathering."

"Full of Death Eaters?"

"Quite a few." He frowned. "I wish I could keep you out of it but having run into him, I can't exactly hide you away. Besides it is only dinner, not an initiation."

Cece burst into laughter. "A joke? Why, Sevie, I'm shocked."

"Stop calling me that, Iliana."

"Never." She retorted. "When's the dinner?"

"Three days."

"Looks like I'm going shopping for a new dressrobe."


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_As those who've read this before might notice up until now the chapters are pretty well the same but starting here, they will be longer and a bit more organised. For those of you new to the story please continue and enjoy! ~Vivi_

Chapter Five

"I'm just telling you to be careful."

"And I'm telling you to get your ass off my bed."

"Arse."

"Ass, arse, either way, get!"

"If I was to agree to play your boyfriend…"

"Then you can stay."

"You're evil."

"Hello, look who I'm related to." She replied with a laugh. She tapped her wand to her head and watched with satisfaction as her hair grew out to fall to her waist. The long dark hair without the streaks that she charmed into it was a little too much like Lara Croft for her liking, not that her charmed face was anything like Angelina Jolie or the video game vixen herself. Making a face in the mirror, she brought it back to her shoulders and arranged it into a French twist. She secured it with a comb encrusted with rubies that she had found in

her vault and then held out a bracelet made with the same gems as the comb. "Help."

Sirius fixed the clasp of the bracelet and took up the matching necklace and motioned her to turn. "Red and gold, the colours of Gryffindor." He smiled over her shoulder and met her eyes in the mirror. "You're going to make a stir."

Cece smoothed the gold cloth and grinned. "It looks nice though doesn't it?"

"You look exquisite."

"Are you gay?" Sirius swung her around and ravished her lips before letting her go. Cece gasped for breath for a moment before grinning. "That doesn't answer my question."

"No, I am not gay."

"Just asking." She said with a smirk as she headed out the door with him following behind her.

"Oh," Molly was the first in the kitchen to see Cece as she entered.

"Well, what do you think?" She gave a spin. She was quite certain that the dressrobes would have been better on her body which had more curves than that of Iliana Prince. Of course, that was due partial to the seven year old that she thought the world of.

Sirius wrapped an arm around her waist surprising those gathered for dinner, with the exception of Remus. "Beautiful." He pressed a quick kiss on her cheek.

Cece rolled her eyes at the wizard. "We've already talked in my room. I was asking for someone else's opinion."

"He's right. You look beautiful." George said from where he and Fred sat. Cece figured that he was George because she'd gotten rather good at telling them apart and the fact that she didn't see George shooting dirty looks at Sirius.

"If I agree to this, you just might get me killed." Sirius whispered into her ear, causing her to burst into laughter.

"All ready, Iliana?" Severus asked as he glided into the room. One of his brows raised on seeing Sirius's arm still wrapped about his cousin's waist. Even though she wasn't related to him, he had come to view her as at least a friend.

"Of course." Cece moved away from Sirius. "Wish me luck."

"See you later." Sirius winked and she wondered what it would be like if she didn't know that a relationship with him could be no more than a fling.

Cece didn't know what she had expected but she hadn't expected to find anyone who she might like as a friend. Then among the partygoers she found a person who seemed just as out of place as she did. During the gathering that proceeded sitting down to dinner, Cece found herself surrounded by people who seemed to want to judge her based on her bloodlines and found them far from lacking. It was just by chance that when she got away from Narcissa Malfoy that she found herself face to face with the only person in the room that she felt she could talk to other than Severus.

Cece smiled at the girl. "Hello, I'm Iliana Prince."

"So, I've heard." She countered. "I'm Peony Parkinson."

In the moments before dinner, Cece learned that she was nineteen and having finished school two years earlier was a disappointment in that she had been sorted to Ravenclaw. She also learned which of those present were the easiest to deal with and took the brunette's words to heart. Peony was the youngest person present but seemed the least pompous of those gathered.

Dinner which had Cece seated on Lucius's left with a man whose name she didn't exactly remember on her left was a torturous affair as far as she was concerned with the two men talking over her as if she wasn't really there. What she heard was quite surprising to her because she didn't think that they would be so open about certain things. They had practically shouted their involvement with Voldemort.

After dinner, she sought out Peony and the brunette kept her amused with stories and annotations about those present and a few pureblood families who were not present to gawk at Severus's cousin. Of course, Peony called him by his last name and had much to say about him.

Severus joined the pair only to gather Cece and take her back to the Order's Headquarters. They arrived and she had the man looking highly amused by something that Peony had said in regards to Gibbons as they entered the kitchen.

He shook his head at her as she finished her story. "Well, you're back in the same condition as when you left. See you tomorrow, cousin." He announced before giving her a brotherly kiss on the cheek before leaving those in the kitchen staring at his retreating figure, except for Cece who smiled serenely before turning to greet the kitchen's occupants.

"Did you have a nice time?" Remus asked.

She rolled her eyes. "What a question? It was terrible except for Peony Parkinson. She was halfway decent. The food was terrible." She looked towards Molly. "Please say you have something I can eat."

"I saved you a plate." She said with a smile.

"You are the best." Cece sat down as redhead produced a plate full of food. "Are you really going to show me how to cook?" She had never mentioned that she could cook like a muggle. She simply had asked the older woman if she would show her how to cook like she did.

The next day dawned and Cece was up bright and earlier or more correctly, she got up at a disrespectfully early hour because she couldn't sleep. The result had her in the rather desolate kitchen that seemed eerie when she was in it alone. She warmed a cup of milk with a spell that she had picked up from watching Molly reheat plates and sat down. Her mind settled on what she had heard at the dinner party and how to give out this information to the Order.

If the hand hadn't come over her mouth, she would have screamed bloody murder waking the house and the portrait. As it was she only managed to spill her drink everywhere.

"Shh, it's just me." A voice whispered into her ear before the hand was removed.

"Freddy, you idiot." She smacked his arm as he cleaned up the mess that she had made with her warm milk.

"I couldn't sleep either." Cece opened her mouth, stood up to leave, and was unceremoniously pushed back into her chair. "I won't bite, Illy."

"Freddy, honey, you're going to have to understand that I can't do this." His face seemed to darken under her gaze. "I mean you're a great guy."

"Don't start that." He practically snarled.

"If it was another time and place, I might jump at the chance, but I'm just not at a place where getting involved with anyone is an option."

"Why not? Is there someone else? Sirius?"

"Maybe."

He shot to his feet and pulled her to hers. The kiss was unexpected and Cece reacted before she could stop herself. Her arms wrapped about his waist as she leaned into the kiss. His hand fisted into the hair that she had yet to return to its shortened state.

They broke apart and Cece latched onto the table for support for she was certain that her legs alone couldn't do it. She closed her eyes and drew in a ragged breath. She didn't know what was going on but she had a feeling that this shouldn't have happened.

"Illy?" Fred's voice was husky. "You can't say that was nothing."

"Please, leave me alone."

"Illy…"

She opened her eyes. "Please."

"Seems that there's more to the story than you told me." Sirius said coming out of the shadows after Fred had left her. "That is if that kiss I just walked into is anything to judge by."

"Sirius, you've got to help me." Cece said pushing away from the table.

"Iliana…"

"Please, I'm begging you."

"I'll think about it." He said before moving towards the doorway.

"Sirius!"

"Shh! You'll wake my mother and the whole house."

"I need an answer now." She frowned. "Maybe it would be better if I went and stayed with Severus for a while..." she thought aloud.

"There's no way in hell." Sirius announced suddenly. The look on his face was a priceless mix of shock and worry. "If you stay with him, you'd be surrounded by Death Eaters and..."

"Does this mean you'll help?"

"You...you...oh, okay."

Cece made an excited sound and propelled herself at him. He caught her with a bark of laughter. "You are the most wonderful man in existence."

"Don't you forget that when he sees us together." He told her pulling away. "He's going to be hurt and you are going to be his main target, well, other than me."

"How are you so wise?"

"Let's just say that I've been there a time or two myself."

"Who was she?"

"None of your business, Prince." He said as he left her standing in the kitchen. "Just be ready for everyone to have some kind of reaction."

The next morning, Cece entered the kitchen to receive a wink from Fred, which as far as she was concerned made her feel very wrong and a smile from the rest of the people assembled. Sirius was in rare form in direct result of the fact that Harry would be joining them that evening. Throughout breakfast he could barely sit still and was in no condition to save Cece from Fred's covert flirting. It didn't help that Molly had pushed her into a seat between Fred and Sirius after she'd burnt part of breakfast. When the latter's hand landed on her leg, she jumped into Sirius, causing him to suddenly become aware of the dark-haired witch. He gave her a heart-stopping smile that she was certain she hadn't received before and leaned forwards startling her. She was relieved that it was only to kiss her cheek but the hand on her leg stilled and the room went dreadfully silent. Cece tried to ignore it and simply eat the eggs upon her plate after moving Fred's hand that seemed to have stopped working on its

own.

Sirius saw the movement and snickered, while suddenly the room picked up noise again. He leaned close the witch and whispered. "I saw that. You're right you most certainly do need my help."

She flushed and looked darkly at him. "That isn't funny, Black."

"Sure it is." He grinned. "If you could see what I see. The poor boy almost has smoke rolling out of his ears." He kissed her on the nose before turning back to his plate.

After breakfast, Cece went into the library and settled down with a book. Sirius was helping Molly and her crew clean a room and she didn't want to clean or anything else as she thought over her predicament. The most obvious change that she could make was Sirius.

Of course, there was Mr. Weasley's leg. She frowned and wondered at what exact time that took place. She knew it was only a day or two before the Winter holiday. If she could find out when that was it might change something, but she wasn't sure what.

"How can you be with _him_?" Disgust rang on that one word. Fred glared darkly at her.

"Freddy, I'm not going through this with you."

"Why not? Don't I deserve to know why you chose him?"

"No, you don't. There is nothing and will be nothing between us." Cece snapped. "Just get that through your head. I'm too old for you and I am just not interested."

"The hell you aren't." He snarled as he grabbed her arm in a punishing grip.

"Problem?" George asked from the doorway. He took in the situation and pulled Fred's hand away. "Damn it, Fred." He murmured as Cece's hand covered the area that was quickly bruising before quickly exiting the room. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, something, I don't know. There's just something about her that won't let me leave her alone. I know that I should but I just can't bring myself to do it."

While the twins talked, Cece gathered up her bag and most of her things. She needed some time and couldn't do anything while she had to fight off Fred. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she moved through the house to the place were Molly and the rest were cleaning. She stood in the doorway for a moment before anyone took notice of her.

"Come to help, Iliana?" Ginny asked the woman.

"I'm going to stay at my cousin's for a bit." She said, her hand unconsciously going to her arm.

The youngest of the redheads took noticed. "What happened to your arm?"

"I must have bumped into something. I don't know who's more clumsy Tonks or me." She gave a weak smile that was accepted. "Well, I better get going."

Sirius followed her out into the hall. "Fred did that?"

"Sirius, please, I don't want any trouble."

"You shouldn't feel like you have to leave."

"I don't. I just need to think."

"What the hell do you have to think about all the time?"

"I can't tell you. I wish that I could but I just don't know if I can."

"So, you're going to let Fred's behaviour chase you off."

"Sirius, please, just say bye and smile."

To her surprise, he swept her into his arms and kissed her methodically before letting her go. "Bye, Iliana. I'll see you before September first?"

"That is if Sev lets me stay." She said with a laugh and turned to find a very shocked Remus with the twins behind him. "Bye, guys. I'll see you at the next meeting, Remus."

"Good-bye?" Remus said before watching the dark-hair witch saunter away.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Six

Cece settled into the dark house that Severus called his home. Within moments of arriving she had changed the bedroom she was given into a mixture of pale blue and white that fit her much better than the duller room and then found the library, where in the next few days she settled with books that she had gotten from Hogwarts library.

She was surprised when her solitude was broken by Severus. He crossed the room and tossed the book onto the nearby table. Grasping her hands, he yanked her unceremoniously to her feet.

"Get out!"

"What?"

"Get out of this house and don't come back until you feel a need to go to bed."

"Then why don't I just go to bed?"

"Because you've done nothing but stay in the library or go to Order meetings and you need to get out."

"But I don't want to go out alone and who would I go with?"

He wrapped an arm about her waist and apparated them to the Black house. Severus threw open the door and led her past a gapping Harry and a smiling Ron and Hermione. He didn't let go until he had pushed her into a chair in the kitchen where several people were gathered.

"Hello, Iliana." Molly smiled at the girl. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just being man-handled by my cousin."

Severus frowned at her and she could see why students might be scared of the man before her. She supposed that it was a bit like her brother-in-law, who everyone seemed to see as intimidating. "Have fun." He ordered before swooping away.

Cece snickered causing everyone in the room, which now included the three that they had passed on their way to the kitchen, to look at her. "What? He's just so melodramatic. How can anyone take him seriously?"

"What was that all about?"

"I'm a recluse at heart and that doesn't sit well with him. Give me a library and I'm happy as a lark. So, it's an innate form of torture to tell me that I have to go do something outside the house." Her charmed eyes lit up as they landed on Tonks who had just come in making enough noise to start up Mrs. Black's portrait.

"Sorry." She flushed.

"Don't be. We're going out and having some fun." Cece said jumping to her feet.

"What?"

"Don't ask, just come along. I'm buying. Wanna come along, Bill, Remus?"

"Okay, why not?" Bill said getting to his feet.

"That's okay. Go ahead."

Cece noticed Tonks slight change in expression. "Killjoy! Sirius make your friend go out and have a good time. What's the worse that can happen?"

Cece snickered as she stumbled into Bill, who seemed almost as inebriated as Tonks. "Lightweights, both of 'em." She said elbowing a rather sober Remus, who grunted at her. She thought or would have thought if her mind was right, that him being a werewolf might have something to do with it.

"I just don't understand how you're still standing after all that firewhiskey. Now, quiet or you'll wake Mrs. Black."

"And that would cause Billy's mummy to come and that would be bad." They got the wizard off to bed and took Tonks to the room that Cece saw as her own. She grinned as Tonks put her head on Remus's shoulder. "You're a cute couple." She said as they left the room together and headed to the kitchen.

"We aren't a couple."

"Please, she's entirely infatuated with you and you're not much better. You practically light up when she comes tripping into a room."

"I'm…"

"And I'm loosing patience." Cece snapped. "Life isn't a very stable thing, Remi. You never know when you might turn that corner and find yourself kissing a bus. Forget about why you shouldn't do something and do it because it feels damned right!"

"How much has she had to drink tonight?" Sirius asked from where he sat at the table with the twins.

"You know they don't have a really cool saying for firewhiskey, like they do for tequila." She grinned and sat down between the twins, ignoring Fred's dark look. "You know that saying, One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor? Why don't they have one for firewhiskey? That's because it doesn't work the same. I'm just fine after how much was it, Remi?"

"Enough to give me a pet name."

"That's not a pet name. A pet name would be like Fido or Wolfie." She grinned widely when his eyes darkened. "Did you know that Little Red Riding Hood was written not as a fairy tale but as a cautionary tale to guard girls against being promiscuous? That gives a whole new spin to 'But, grandmother, what big hands you have'."

"Iliana, I think you need to go to sleep before you say something you shouldn't say and don't remember it in the morning."

"I always remember no matter how much I have to drink." She replied, leaning

against Fred with a yawn. "I'm fine, just fine. Besides, Sevie's expecting me back and…"

"You'll stay here."

"Tonks is in my bed." She announced then burst into loud laughter. "That sounded so wrong. Don't ya agree, Siri?"

"Looks like you got yourself a nickname as well." Remus said with a grin. "Now, if you'd just stay in the house like you've been asked to."

"Oh, I can fix that." Cece to the horror of those gathered pulled her wand and muttered something inaudible before grinning widely. "Lovely little charm that is, you won't be able to leave the house for the next two or three years. Go try it. I found it in the most interesting book from Hogwarts' library. Madame Pince isn't half the bitch that I was expecting. There's just something about librarians having something up their…."

"What did you do?" Sirius thundered. "Why would you do that? Why would you want to keep me in this damned house?"

"I can't tell you."

"What do you mean that you can't tell me? You better well tell me right now!" Sirius's yelling had woken his mother's portrait and those in the house arrived in the kitchen to stare at Sirius and the female looking completely unconcerned about his yelling.

"You know my mother does that so much better than you." She said with a yawn when he had paused for breath.

"What's going on here?" Severus asked as he made his way into the rather crowded room.

"I thought I'd made the right decision but I'm still here." Cece shrugged. "Back to the drawing board, I suppose."

"What is she talking about?" Remus questioned as he eyed Snape's cousin.

After her announcement, she seemed upset and suddenly she burst into tears. Fred patted her shoulder and was surprised when she turning into him and began to sob. "I wanna go home!"

"So, you shall." Severus pulled the woman out of Fred's awkward embrace and started to leave the room before pushing Cece into Molly's hold. "Black, Lupin, a moment if you would." He shot a look about the room and headed for the library. As soon as the two wizards had joined him, he sealed the room with a few flicks of his wrist to ensure privacy for what he was about to unveil. "That woman in there is of no relation to me. Her name is Ceciliana Cresswell, American, muggleborn and from a number of years from the future. In a few weeks, she will be coming to Hogwarts or at least the younger version of her will, to start her fourth year. Dumbledore believes that she is here to change something that affected her deeply but what that is she and we are clueless about. Obviously from what I've glimpsed of her reading and planning, she thought to change something involving you, Black, but I don't believe that you are the reason that I was told to bring her here."

"You've lost your damned mind." Sirius shook his head at the wizard.

"Dumbledore knows of this and we could speak to him?" Remus asked.

"Yes, and I do believe that it would do Miss Cresswell a great deal of good to have others to talk to. I asked if the two of you could be allowed in on the confidence when I took notice of her growing attachment towards the two of you."

"What about Fred?"

"What about Mr. Weasley?" Severus asked dryly.

"He and Iliana seem quite close as well why not him?"

"You'd have to speak to Dumbledore about that."

Sirius frowned. "If this it true tell me about what she's really like. Does she actually look like you?"

"No, that's due to charms done by the headmaster. She's a brunette with smiling green eyes. I thought she was sixth or seventh year when first I saw her. Her family is all muggles but by some chance hold some magical bloodline due to being descendents through a squib relation at some point. I'm not sure what family for Dumbledore seemed to leave a lot out. Either way, she's wealthy because of it." He paused and added almost as an afterthought. "She has a daughter."

"No wonder the poor kid wants to go home." Remus murmured.

"She's not twenty." Sirius announced suddenly as a realisation dawned on him. "That's why she's so adamant about staying away from Fred. How old is Iliana?"

"Twenty-six but with her posing as my cousin, the only plausible way was to change her age, she barely looks twenty even when charmed to have a resemblance to me."

"Can we see what she really looks like?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Black, let's put her in jeopardy so you can satisfy your curiosity."

"Why would she be in jeopardy?"

"She's from the future and obviously knows quite a bit to be thrown to the Order like she has." Remus shook his head. "If she's a fourth year at the moment, then she's twelve years in the past, this can't be safe. Who did this to her?"

"She did."

"Nobody in their right mind would send themselves to a past at war." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"According to Dumbledore she didn't do it on purpose. She sent herself back to a time when she could change whatever is still affecting her and something at this time can make that change. I'm not sure why she thought to do anything to keep you safe."

"Keep me safe?" Sirius echoed as he thought about how he had yelled at the woman because of what she had done and she had done it only to keep him from harm. He wasn't exactly grateful that there was a chance that he would be unable to leave this house for at least two years, but it did put it in a different prospective. The question was what could he do about it?

The next day Cece woke up in her room at Severus's and blanched. Not so much from a hangover, she'd drank a lot of water upon getting to the house, much to her so-called cousin's dismay and prediction that she'd make herself sick. There was a dull headache and a raw stomach that would go away with a shower and some food. The face expression had to do with what she had done. How could she ever explain any of it to Sirius? He was going to be so mad at her and she deserved it. With a curse that had nothing to do with the use of magic escaped her lips and she made her way towards the shower. Hopefully, she'd be able to drown herself and everything would be better.

An hour later, Severus found her in his kitchen. He gave her a smirk. "I see that you didn't burn whatever you were attempting to make this morning. What is that?" His nose wrinkled.

"Oatmeal with cinnamon and honey, want some?"

"Eating was the last thing I expected to find you doing. That actually looks halfway tempting compared to your last try at cooking."

"All it took was a little bit of need." She grinned. "Maybe I'll try something a bit more complicated."

"Maybe you should let Molly teach you a bit more before that." He saw the look on her face. "You take away all my fun, Iliana."

"Sorry, Sevie." She finished her food and put the bowl in the sink. "I suppose I should go over there and have it out with Sirius."

"He knows."

"He knows what? That I put a charm on him that traps him in that house?"

"He knows why you did it."

"How could he know that I did what I did to keep him from dieing?"

For a moment, he simply stared at the witch before him. "Are you certain that you preformed the spell correctly?"

"Only one way to know." She shrugged. "Why do you care? I thought you hated him."

"I only ask because if you didn't do it right, that would explain why you have yet to leave."

"He lit up like a Christmas tree, Sev. That's what's supposed to happen."

"But just maybe…"

"Forget it. I'm going to apologise."


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Seven

Cece's knock was answered by a rather rumbled looking Bill. She grinned at him. "You look like hell." She said bluntly.

"While you look fresh as a daisy," he replied in what was almost a growl. "Got a hangover potion from your cousin."

"Didn't need one, I've got great metabolism. Brought a couple with me in case you and Tonks didn't make it to morning in the best shape. Want it?"

"You need to ask?"

"No but you certainly do." She said sailing past him. She paused to help him recharm the locks on the door before heading towards the kitchen. "Good morning." She smiled warmly only to get a glower from Tonks and a look that she couldn't exactly read from Sirius.

"Harry," his godfather drew the boy's attention away for Cece. "I don't believe that you've been introduced to Iliana. She's Snape's cousin."

"With an introduction like that, I'm sure to have lots of new friends." Iliana said dryly, getting a bit of laughter. "Can I help with anything, Molly?" Harry might have been surprised to see his best friends shrink away at this but Molly smiled and told the woman what she could do. "I've been practising." She seemed to promise to the room in general before pausing to set odd brown vials before Bill and Tonks. "If you can't play with the big dogs, stay on the porch."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Where did that come from?"

"Muggle saying that I picked up from somewhere." She shrugged as she tossed her robe over a chair and moved to take over watching the bacon as Molly had suggested.

"How did Snape's cousin pick up muggle sayings?" One of the twins asked.

"How did I pick up muggle friends? I simply did." She shrugged. "Just the way I picked up muggleborn, and purebloods as friends. People are people no matter…." She trailed off and burst into laughter. "I just about started quoting Dr. Seuss."

"Who?"

"Muggle children's writer." She inexpertly turned the bacon. "He wrote all these books with hidden meanings in them but their amazing books either way. My favourites are The Places You Go and The Butter Battle Book. Of course, I love the others as well."

"The Butter what?" Ron asked.

"Wonderful book has to do with the muggle arms race between the US and Russia

during the Cold War. Each side likes their butter a certain way on their bread. Butter up or butter down. Anyway they start getting larger and larger guns until they realise how wrong it is to be fighting. Great story." She grinned. "Of course, what I was going to say is from Horton Hears a Who. People are people no matter how small."

Sirius shook his head but Mr. Weasley seemed intrigued. "Where would you find these books?"

"Just about any muggle book store, in the US they celebrate his birthday as Read Across America Day."

"You seem to know quite a bit about muggles."

"Well, they're fascinating." The Weasley children let out a collective groan. "Oh, hush. Look at all muggles are able to do without magic. That is amazing to say the least." She turned back to the bacon in time to rescue it from being burnt. "How'd I do?"

"Very well, dear." Molly smiled. "You've made a conquest," Cece looked startled, "with my Arthur." She relaxed and made her way out of the kitchen begging off breakfast and finding herself in the library, where she planned to wait for Sirius. She didn't have long.

"Did you inhale your food?" She asked.

"I can't leave the house."

"Damn it."

"That wasn't the reaction I was expecting but I suppose it has something to do with you still being here."

Her eyes widened. "So, you do know."

"Enough to wonder about why you did what you did."

"Let Harry know about the charm, it will save some time and effort at the end of the year." She said instead.

"What charm?" Harry's voice came from the doorway.

"Lovely Iliana made it so that I cannot leave the house for about two years."

"Maybe three."

"Maybe three," he glared at her. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Voldemort would be likely to use you to get at him," she motioned at Harry, "this way, he knows that you're safe and can't be harmed."

"Sometimes, you're scary."

"Once more, Siri, look who I'm related to."

"Don't call me that."

She grinned and walked away. She made it into the hall and right into Fred.

"Illy, I wanted to say I was sorry."

"Its okay, Fred. Well, no it isn't. What were you thinking?"

"That I can't get you out of my head. There's just something about you that draws me like…" she clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Oh, that's it!" She grinned largely before kissing him soundly and heading for the floo. "Bye, Freddy, you're wonderful."

Arriving at Severus's house, she found Peony Parkinson waiting for her. She eyed the brunette before bringing her into the library. It was easy to see that the girl had been crying and yet her eyes seemed to flash with determination.

"I don't know what to do, Iliana, and you were the only person that I could think to come to."

"Peony, calm down and tell me, what's the matter." Cece ordered as she gently pushed the girl into a chair.

"My parents are going to force me to marry this foreign wizard. I thought I could do it. I mean I've know all along that they would have someone picked out for me. But Iliana, he is so gross. I don't think he's bathed since I don't know when."

Cece made a face. "You can stay here until I figure something out." She paused her eyes, lightening. "I know exactly where you can stay that no one will ever find you. Just give me a few hours to get things straightened out." She marched out of the room and took the floo to Severus's office in Hogsmeade. He looked startled and became agitated when she told him what she wanted from him.

"Please, Sevie. She has no where to go and no one else to turn to."

Sirius began to worry when Cece didn't return to 12 Grimmauld Place before those returning left for Hogwarts. He worried more when she missed several Order meetings. Severus wasn't attending the meetings due to his schedule as a Hogwarts professor. He wasn't the only one worried. Their new arrival Peony, Molly, Tonks, Remus, Bill, and even Mad-Eye had made mention of her disappearance.

Then out of the blue at the meeting two days before the Winter holiday, she showed up. She laid out a few things that she had heard through a friend or so she said. Then she had opposed the idea of Arthur going to the ministry the next evening.

Cece hadn't realised how late in the year it was until she heard that Arthur would be going to watch the Department of Mysteries. She stayed at the headquarters that night and fretted over what she knew was to come but had no way to fix. She felt a deep seated dread in the pit of her stomach and refused to talk to Sirius or Remus when they asked her what she knew. She finally blurted out her secret to Sirius and the pair decided that since they could do nothing and things would turn out alright, that they should wait but waiting was a lot easier with something to drink with Peony shaking her head at the two who as far as she knew where drinking for no reason what so ever.

She was asleep in a chair in the library when Sirius shook her awake. "They're on their way. You're scary."

"I'm going to go. I'll be back in the morning to go to the hospital. Oh, and Sirius?"

"Yeah, Iliana."

She grinned at him. "I'm going to try something again. If I make it back…."

"I'll contact you." He grinned. "If I survive."

She punched his shoulder playfully. "See you later."

"Iliana?"

"What?"

"You'll always have a home here to return to."

Cece stood before the door and frowned. What the hell was she doing? Before she could stop herself, she raised a hand and knocked on the door. There was noise and then the door opened to reveal a tousled wizard. She had been expecting Percy Weasley to look more like a prat. "We need to talk." She announced pushing her way into his flat.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? You can't simply barge in here." He pulled his wand.

She disarmed him then silenced him. When he kept moving she bound him to a chair. She returned his voice because she wanted to hear his reaction to what she had to say. "Who I am isn't important. What is important is that your father's been hurt." His sucked in breath was enough of a reaction. "How or why isn't important. What is important is that your family needs you. You need to stop being so damned proud and realise that your family is the only one you've got."

"My family doesn't need me."

"Yes, they do. Listen, I've always felt out of place with my family. My older brother and sisters are loud and boisterous and have no problem telling anyone what they think or what they want. Me? I'm quiet and shy and hate to be the centre of attention. If I can blend into the woodwork, I'm happy as a lark. Give me a book and the world doesn't exist."

"Sounds about right for my family and me."

"I suppose so." She smiled and released him. "Listen, it took a lot for me to realise that it didn't matter that my family was so different from me. You have a great family and

it's hard to admit that you love them not because they are different from you but in spite of it."

Percy laughed and frowned. "Even if I was to listen to you, they wouldn't want to see me."

"Wanna bet?" She smiled. "Get ready, we're going to visit your dad."

"But…"

"No, buts, get moving."

The pair arrived at St. Mungos and Percy waited as she found out where Mr. Weasley was located. She locked her arm with his and drug him up the stairs, where they ran into Fred and George. "Go ahead, I'll catch up." She stared at the twins. "Give him a break, please."

"Only because you asked." Fred grinned.

"And we know what it would mean for Mum." George added.

"You're great." She hugged both them and found that Fred held on a bit longer. Cece hurried after Percy and caught up to him outside of the room that held his father. "No time like the present." She entered the room and approaching the bed. She caught Arthur's eye and winked when his eyes widened lightly upon seeing his son. "Look what I found in the hall." She announced and then moved away as Percy did the most wonderful thing. He apologised. Whistling lightly, she left the room to find the twins with the four younger members of

the group coming towards her. She lifted her hand to wave.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Eight

Cece awoke with a start. She looked blearily about the dark living room. Was it a dream? It had to have been all a dream. Drawing herself off of the couch, she turned off the television and shook her head as she made her way to her bed. She fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, she woke slowly. Maddie stood before her poking her in the shoulder.

"Mom? Will you make pancakes?"

"Sure, sweetie." Cece yawned and got out of the bed. She absently ran a hand through her daughter's hair as she headed for the kitchen.

"There's a bird in the kitchen, I think it came in through the window."

She stopped mid-stretch when the fact that there was a bird in her kitchen dawned on her. She absently wondered if it was the deranged female cardinal that liked to smack itself against the window for some reason.

Maddie let out a laugh and tugged on Cece's hand. "C'mon, Mom, come and look."

"Stay out of the kitchen." She dropped onto the couch. "Birds have all kinds of diseases." Something poked her and she reached to pull whatever it was out from behind her when Maddie spoke up again.

"It's an owl, like in Harry Potter. It has a letter and everything. It's so cool."

Cece didn't reply, she was too busy staring at the wand that she had just pulled out of couch. With a laugh, she darted into the kitchen and took the letter from the owl.

_Iliana,_

_ Come home._

_ Sirius_

Her stomach twisted as she looked at the few words on the paper. He made it sound relatively easy. She glanced at her daughter. It was summer but could she yank the child from all she knew. It wouldn't be easy, no matter her decision but she didn't just have herself to worry about but Maddie as well. She closed her eyes for a moment. She could just go for a visit and then decide if there was a way that she and Maddie could really stay there.

Three days later, Cece kissed and hugged Maddie before leaving the girl with Julie. A week was all the time that she'd give herself. It simply seemed that she'd been away from her daughter for a long time and it took a while for her to realise that in a way she had. On her flight to London, she tried to think about all that happened but all she could think about was Fred. Was he still alive? Sirius was but was Remus? Or Tonks? Was Bill disfigured as he had been in the books? What had happened to Peony? No matter how far she pushed her questions, Fred came back to the centre of her mind. Was he alive? Did he remember Iliana

Prince? Was he single or did he settle down with some female that she in a way felt jealous of, even though it was possible that there was no such person. Did he still smile in that mischievous way with that glint in his eyes like he was simply up to no good? But time and again, her mind went to the kisses they shared and she wondered just how important three years was because at this moment, she was three years younger than him.

She disembarked from the plane to find an older and out of place looking Sirius waiting for her. She had sent the owl back with her decision and now wondered how it would look to the world at large. Of course, upon seeing him, it didn't matter and she dropped her carry-on, the only bag she had brought with, and propelled herself into his waiting arms. He looked highly surprised as some strange brunette pushed into his arms until a somewhat familiar voice announced. "Gods, you're okay."

"Iliana?" He pulled away and studied the woman before him. "Fred is a lucky bastard."

"I doubt that." She said dryly and in the same breath. "How is he? Tell me everything, please."

"Remus and Tonks, we had to tell her, have some kids, three to be exact. We lost Mad-Eye and your so-called cousin, from what I understand he left you something. Mung disappeared. Molly is still Molly. Same goes for Arthur and you know about the rest of them, except the twins. They're doing well. George is all settled down with some blonde they went to school with."

"And Fred?"

"He's seeing some dark haired witch, but it isn't serious or so I've been told. I let Ginny know that you were coming to visit. Seems that she knew you as well you."

"Who knows?"

"Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Bill, Tonks, Remus, Peony, and me. That's it."

"Why?"

"The four of them became convinced that you were a death eater and all kinds of odd thoughts. Peony, Bill and Tonks worried because they're your friends."

"Were or are? There's quite a difference in age now."

"We're still your friends, Iliana."

"Cece."

"Right, Cece. Come on, I want you to meet my family."

"You have a family?"

"A wife and two hellions." He grinned largely.

"How's Peony, I worried about her."

"The problem is that I can't simply move with Maddie. I have to look at things from the perspective of if what I want to do is good for her." Cece said as she sat with the group who know about her and their spouses in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place. The house looked nothing like it once did and she loved the noise that came from a bunch of children playing in the other rooms. She had instigated a game of hide-and-seek that was currently being played throughout the house.

"Yes, but Maddie is close in age with most of our children. Not Ginny and Harry's or Ron and Hermione's, mind you, but still we'd love to keep her while you worked if that was the problem." Remus replied.

"You're not alone here, Cece. We're all here for you and we'll help if it means having you around here."

"You barely know me, except that I was sent back in time and..."

"Actually, I do know you as Ceciliana Cresswell." Ginny spoke up for the first time. "You were my friend and friends with Neville and Luna and a number of others in our years. You were quiet and shy but once someone got to know you, you were loads of fun." She grinned. "I have a job all lined up for you with the twins. George, that's who I mainly talked to, says that you and Maddie can stay in the flat above the shop until you find something else, if you want to find something else. Please stay." She reached for Cece's hand. "You belong

here."

"How do you know that?" She shook her head. "I'll think about it."

"No time to think, we have to meet Fred and George at the shop in ten minutes to go over your job that you're going to start as soon as you go to get Maddie."

Cece looked at her in horror. "What did you do?"

"Got you a job."

George looked up as the bell rang above the door and smiled as his sister came in dragging a brunette in behind her. It wasn't that the brunette was resisting coming into the shop; she simply seemed to be taking her time which didn't agree with Ginny.

A child with his mother was arguing about some product and he was surprised when the woman stopped. She pushed off Ginny's hand and spoke quietly with the woman and then to the boy. Whatever she was saying went over well with the pair and the box that the boy was holding was placed back on the shelf and the brunette handed him a smaller package and motioned the pair ahead of her and towards the counter.

Ginny grinned as she came to stand beside the twin. "Not even working for you yet and Cece just got you a sale. That woman kept telling dear Timmy that they were only looking and that was way too expensive. She convinced the woman to take the same product home that the boy wanted in a smaller size."

"She's hired." George returned.

"Cece, you got the job."

"Cece?" He grinned. "Your name is Cece?"

"Actually it's Ceciliana Marie Cresswell but Cece is so much simpler to spell." Cece quipped.

George grinned at her. "You'll fit right in. Fred's dealing with some issues in our Hogmeade's shop. You attended Hogwarts, didn't you?" She gave a nod. "What house were you in? We have strictly no Slytherins work policy here. So, even if Ginny is calling in a favour..."

"I was in Hufflepuff." Cece cut him off as Ginny disappeared to some corner of the shop. 'I'll be able to start as soon as I get things settled in the US."

"Just one question, Cece." She met his eyes questioningly. "If you're American why did you attend Hogwarts? I don't mean to pry but I am a bit curious."

She shook her head. "It has something to do with a bequest by my family, which I don't understand because I always thought I was just another muggle-born but come to find out some old family left everything to me because I'm descended from some squib relation and the rest of the family died out." She gave a shrug. "Or it's something like that."

A half an hour later, George said good-bye and pondered Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' newest employee. There was something utterly familiar about the brunette. He might have put it down to seeing her about the school with Ginny but his sister had told him that Cece had spent more time with Luna and her roommates than Ginny. Then there was the fact that he had never paid the least amount of attention to who was in his sister's year, let alone in Hufflepuff.

It wouldn't leave him alone. There was just something about Cece Cresswell that tugged at a memory and try as he may, George couldn't put his finger on it. He was still pondering it when he entered the Hogsmeade location. He was so deep in thought over this mystery that he passed Fred without as much as a glance.

"Oi!" Fred called out rushing into the backroom after him.

"I met Ginny's friend. I thought we'd give her a try."

"That's fine. I'm taking Natalie to some restaurant that she said we had to go to."

"Natalie." He barely kept from making a face at the witch's name. "Serious enough to let her call the shots."

Fred shrugged. "I got the last letter from that agency this morning. It's final; there was never an Iliana Prince. She never existed."

"Maybe it was something to do with the Order."

"Someone would be daft enough to pretend to be related to Snape of all people?"

"Someone would be daft enough to search for a woman who disappeared about twelve years ago?" George countered with a grin.

"Thirteen in December," muttered Fred.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Miss Cresswell." Minerva McGonagall smiled at the woman as she took the seat that the headmistress had motioned her into. Cece glanced about the private room of the Three Broomstick in nervous agitation. "I was left by the ministry to see that Severus Snape's estate was seen to as he had willed. He left it all to you."

"What?" Cece looked up sharply.

"There's a vault at Gringotts with a modest amount in it." Minerva said handing over a key. "As well as a house at…"

"I know where it's located but why would he leave this to me?"

"I do not know, Miss Cresswell." She handed over another key. "There is a letter left to you from him."

Cece took the envelope and gave a weak smile. "Thank you, Professor."

"I've heard that you are planning on living in London permanently."

"That's correct. I recently took a job at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"Good luck on that." The woman gave a tight smile as she made to leave the room. "Oh, and Miss Cresswell?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

Cece thought about this and then wondered why it was that it seemed as if McGonagall knew more than what she was telling. Shaking her head, she pocketed the keys, envelope and package before making her way into the main room of the pub. She made it off the stairs just in time to run into something solid or make that someone solid.

"I'm so sorry." She announced as the person steadied her on her feet. "I'm such a klutz."

"Its okay, no one's hurt."

"I know I'm just sorry that I ran into you like that." Cece tossed her golden-brown hair out of her green eyes and met a familiar pair of brown eyes with a jolt of realization.

Fred, on the other hand, couldn't help but remember Iliana running into him and that this was the first female since then and she like his Illy sought first to apologise and then to explain her actions. Cece started to loose herself looking into his deep brown eyes and leaned slightly forwards, only to go stumbling backwards over her own feet when she realised what she was doing. Fred reached out and steadied the girl again.

"I'm sorry."

"Let's not start that again."

"Okay." She replied giving him a mischievous smile. "I'm…"

"Darling!" Called a voice that instantly grated on Cece's nerves. She turned to find a dark haired, dark eyed witch bearing down on her and Fred. She stop smiled and preened before the wizard as if proving she was better than Cece. Cece became aware of the simple robe she had thrown over a pair of jeans and a sleeveless top and that Fred was a bit dressed up himself.

"Well, I better get out of your way, Freddy." She knew then that she'd have to keep herself from wanting what couldn't possibly be.

"Wait…" Fred trailed off as the brunette didn't pay him any mind but sauntered out of the place with a slightly familiar gait. He turned his attention to Natalie to find that she wasn't too happy with him.


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Eight

Cece awoke with a start. She looked blearily about the dark living room. Was it a dream? It had to have been all a dream. Drawing herself off of the couch, she turned off the television and shook her head as she made her way to her bed. She fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, she woke slowly. Maddie stood before her poking her in the shoulder.

"Mom? Will you make pancakes?"

"Sure, sweetie." Cece yawned and got out of the bed. She absently ran a hand through her daughter's hair as she headed for the kitchen.

"There's a bird in the kitchen, I think it came in through the window."

She stopped mid-stretch when the fact that there was a bird in her kitchen dawned on her. She absently wondered if it was the deranged female cardinal that liked to smack itself against the window for some reason.

Maddie let out a laugh and tugged on Cece's hand. "C'mon, Mom, come and look."

"Stay out of the kitchen." She dropped onto the couch. "Birds have all kinds of diseases." Something poked her and she reached to pull whatever it was out from behind her when Maddie spoke up again.

"It's an owl, like in Harry Potter. It has a letter and everything. It's so cool."

Cece didn't reply, she was too busy staring at the wand that she had just pulled out of couch. With a laugh, she darted into the kitchen and took the letter from the owl.

_Iliana,_

_ Come home._

_ Sirius_

Her stomach twisted as she looked at the few words on the paper. He made it sound relatively easy. She glanced at her daughter. It was summer but could she yank the child from all she knew. It wouldn't be easy, no matter her decision but she didn't just have herself to worry about but Maddie as well. She closed her eyes for a moment. She could just go for a visit and then decide if there was a way that she and Maddie could really stay there.

Three days later, Cece kissed and hugged Maddie before leaving the girl with Julie. A week was all the time that she'd give herself. It simply seemed that she'd been away from her daughter for a long time and it took a while for her to realise that in a way she had. On her flight to London, she tried to think about all that happened but all she could think about was Fred. Was he still alive? Sirius was but was Remus? Or Tonks? Was Bill disfigured as he had been in the books? What had happened to Peony? No matter how far she pushed her questions, Fred came back to the centre of her mind. Was he alive? Did he remember Iliana

Prince? Was he single or did he settle down with some female that she in a way felt jealous of, even though it was possible that there was no such person. Did he still smile in that mischievous way with that glint in his eyes like he was simply up to no good? But time and again, her mind went to the kisses they shared and she wondered just how important three years was because at this moment, she was three years younger than him.

She disembarked from the plane to find an older and out of place looking Sirius waiting for her. She had sent the owl back with her decision and now wondered how it would look to the world at large. Of course, upon seeing him, it didn't matter and she dropped her carry-on, the only bag she had brought with, and propelled herself into his waiting arms. He looked highly surprised as some strange brunette pushed into his arms until a somewhat familiar voice announced. "Gods, you're okay."

"Iliana?" He pulled away and studied the woman before him. "Fred is a lucky bastard."

"I doubt that." She said dryly and in the same breath. "How is he? Tell me everything, please."

"Remus and Tonks, we had to tell her, have some kids, three to be exact. We lost Mad-Eye and your so-called cousin, from what I understand he left you something. Mung disappeared. Molly is still Molly. Same goes for Arthur and you know about the rest of them, except the twins. They're doing well. George is all settled down with some blonde they went to school with."

"And Fred?"

"He's seeing some dark haired witch, but it isn't serious or so I've been told. I let Ginny know that you were coming to visit. Seems that she knew you as well you."

"Who knows?"

"Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Bill, Tonks, Remus, Peony, and me. That's it."

"Why?"

"The four of them became convinced that you were a death eater and all kinds of odd thoughts. Peony, Bill and Tonks worried because they're your friends."

"Were or are? There's quite a difference in age now."

"We're still your friends, Iliana."

"Cece."

"Right, Cece. Come on, I want you to meet my family."

"You have a family?"

"A wife and two hellions." He grinned largely.

"How's Peony, I worried about her."

"The problem is that I can't simply move with Maddie. I have to look at things from the perspective of if what I want to do is good for her." Cece said as she sat with the group who know about her and their spouses in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place. The house looked nothing like it once did and she loved the noise that came from a bunch of children playing in the other rooms. She had instigated a game of hide-and-seek that was currently being played throughout the house.

"Yes, but Maddie is close in age with most of our children. Not Ginny and Harry's or Ron and Hermione's, mind you, but still we'd love to keep her while you worked if that was the problem." Remus replied.

"You're not alone here, Cece. We're all here for you and we'll help if it means having you around here."

"You barely know me, except that I was sent back in time and..."

"Actually, I do know you as Ceciliana Cresswell." Ginny spoke up for the first time. "You were my friend and friends with Neville and Luna and a number of others in our years. You were quiet and shy but once someone got to know you, you were loads of fun." She grinned. "I have a job all lined up for you with the twins. George, that's who I mainly talked to, says that you and Maddie can stay in the flat above the shop until you find something else, if you want to find something else. Please stay." She reached for Cece's hand. "You belong

here."

"How do you know that?" She shook her head. "I'll think about it."

"No time to think, we have to meet Fred and George at the shop in ten minutes to go over your job that you're going to start as soon as you go to get Maddie."

Cece looked at her in horror. "What did you do?"

"Got you a job."

George looked up as the bell rang above the door and smiled as his sister came in dragging a brunette in behind her. It wasn't that the brunette was resisting coming into the shop; she simply seemed to be taking her time which didn't agree with Ginny.

A child with his mother was arguing about some product and he was surprised when the woman stopped. She pushed off Ginny's hand and spoke quietly with the woman and then to the boy. Whatever she was saying went over well with the pair and the box that the boy was holding was placed back on the shelf and the brunette handed him a smaller package and motioned the pair ahead of her and towards the counter.

Ginny grinned as she came to stand beside the twin. "Not even working for you yet and Cece just got you a sale. That woman kept telling dear Timmy that they were only looking and that was way too expensive. She convinced the woman to take the same product home that the boy wanted in a smaller size."

"She's hired." George returned.

"Cece, you got the job."

"Cece?" He grinned. "Your name is Cece?"

"Actually it's Ceciliana Marie Cresswell but Cece is so much simpler to spell." Cece quipped.

George grinned at her. "You'll fit right in. Fred's dealing with some issues in our Hogmeade's shop. You attended Hogwarts, didn't you?" She gave a nod. "What house were you in? We have strictly no Slytherins work policy here. So, even if Ginny is calling in a favour..."

"I was in Hufflepuff." Cece cut him off as Ginny disappeared to some corner of the shop. 'I'll be able to start as soon as I get things settled in the US."

"Just one question, Cece." She met his eyes questioningly. "If you're American why did you attend Hogwarts? I don't mean to pry but I am a bit curious."

She shook her head. "It has something to do with a bequest by my family, which I don't understand because I always thought I was just another muggle-born but come to find out some old family left everything to me because I'm descended from some squib relation and the rest of the family died out." She gave a shrug. "Or it's something like that."

A half an hour later, George said good-bye and pondered Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' newest employee. There was something utterly familiar about the brunette. He might have put it down to seeing her about the school with Ginny but his sister had told him that Cece had spent more time with Luna and her roommates than Ginny. Then there was the fact that he had never paid the least amount of attention to who was in his sister's year, let alone in Hufflepuff.

It wouldn't leave him alone. There was just something about Cece Cresswell that tugged at a memory and try as he may, George couldn't put his finger on it. He was still pondering it when he entered the Hogsmeade location. He was so deep in thought over this mystery that he passed Fred without as much as a glance.

"Oi!" Fred called out rushing into the backroom after him.

"I met Ginny's friend. I thought we'd give her a try."

"That's fine. I'm taking Natalie to some restaurant that she said we had to go to."

"Natalie." He barely kept from making a face at the witch's name. "Serious enough to let her call the shots."

Fred shrugged. "I got the last letter from that agency this morning. It's final; there was never an Iliana Prince. She never existed."

"Maybe it was something to do with the Order."

"Someone would be daft enough to pretend to be related to Snape of all people?"

"Someone would be daft enough to search for a woman who disappeared about twelve years ago?" George countered with a grin.

"Thirteen in December," muttered Fred.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Miss Cresswell." Minerva McGonagall smiled at the woman as she took the seat that the headmistress had motioned her into. Cece glanced about the private room of the Three Broomstick in nervous agitation. "I was left by the ministry to see that Severus Snape's estate was seen to as he had willed. He left it all to you."

"What?" Cece looked up sharply.

"There's a vault at Gringotts with a modest amount in it." Minerva said handing over a key. "As well as a house at…"

"I know where it's located but why would he leave this to me?"

"I do not know, Miss Cresswell." She handed over another key. "There is a letter left to you from him."

Cece took the envelope and gave a weak smile. "Thank you, Professor."

"I've heard that you are planning on living in London permanently."

"That's correct. I recently took a job at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"Good luck on that." The woman gave a tight smile as she made to leave the room. "Oh, and Miss Cresswell?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

Cece thought about this and then wondered why it was that it seemed as if McGonagall knew more than what she was telling. Shaking her head, she pocketed the keys, envelope and package before making her way into the main room of the pub. She made it off the stairs just in time to run into something solid or make that someone solid.

"I'm so sorry." She announced as the person steadied her on her feet. "I'm such a klutz."

"Its okay, no one's hurt."

"I know I'm just sorry that I ran into you like that." Cece tossed her golden-brown hair out of her green eyes and met a familiar pair of brown eyes with a jolt of realization.

Fred, on the other hand, couldn't help but remember Iliana running into him and that this was the first female since then and she like his Illy sought first to apologise and then to explain her actions. Cece started to loose herself looking into his deep brown eyes and leaned slightly forwards, only to go stumbling backwards over her own feet when she realised what she was doing. Fred reached out and steadied the girl again.

"I'm sorry."

"Let's not start that again."

"Okay." She replied giving him a mischievous smile. "I'm…"

"Darling!" Called a voice that instantly grated on Cece's nerves. She turned to find a dark haired, dark eyed witch bearing down on her and Fred. She stop smiled and preened before the wizard as if proving she was better than Cece. Cece became aware of the simple robe she had thrown over a pair of jeans and a sleeveless top and that Fred was a bit dressed up himself.

"Well, I better get out of your way, Freddy." She knew then that she'd have to keep herself from wanting what couldn't possibly be.

"Wait…" Fred trailed off as the brunette didn't pay him any mind but sauntered out of the place with a slightly familiar gait. He turned his attention to Natalie to find that she wasn't too happy with him.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Ten

The next day, Cece stood in the backroom wearing magenta robes trying to remember all that George had just told her. She must have looked quite shell-shocked because he smiled and took pity on her. "You don't have to remember all of this today, Cece."

"Oh, thank goddess." She grinned back at him. "Now, you promised to show me the mail-orders."

"Right this way. Usually Fred or I take care of it but I think it would save us a lot of time if we had someone else in charge of it. Ginny says you're organised."

"I can be." She replied as she looked over the piles of parchments atop a desk in a corner of the twins' workroom. "Wow, how long does it take for orders to be filled?"

"Four to six weeks."

"Well, that's going to be the first thing to be changed. I'll see about getting it cut down to at least two to three."

"If you think you can, have at it." He grinned. "Let me know if you need any help."

"Which are the oldest?"

"I'm not sure." He shrugged. "They're all dated by when they were sent."

"That will have to work. Now, let me get to work, Mr. Weasley."

Three hours later, George paused and stared at his workroom in horror. The forms were every where and a frazzled Cece was muttering to herself as she moved from pile to pile. After he got over the shock of the mess that the workroom was in he found that she was not only muttering over what the date of each paper she was putting into order but several inventive curses were mixed with her wonderings on the intelligence of Fred and himself. He cleared his throat and her head snapped up. She was adorable enough to turn three shades of red and George wished that Fred didn't have that stupid rule because Cece would be perfect for him.

A week later, George wondered what he and Fred ever did without the brunette. Not only did she manage to get the mail-orders in complete order and running smoothly, but she simply knew how to work the floor of the shop's showroom like a pro. People who normally came in but never bought were buying and the store's numbers were up. He knew he just had to get her to the Hogsmeade shop in time for the first Hogsmeade visit. She was a jewel.

"What's got you looking so satisfied?" Fred asked as he came into the workroom. He looked at the desk and did a double take. "You finally did it. You just threw it all away."

"Nope, put Ginny's friend in charge of the mail-orders."

"She's good."

"She's very good."

"Do I get to meet her today?"

"Day off." George replied.

"I keep seeing that brunette. Everywhere and she's always tripping over everything and smiling or laughing."

George thought for a moment that it sounded strangely like Cece. "Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Does this mean that you're over Iliana?"

"I'll never be completely over her, but maybe I am holding onto her memory."

"You didn't even know her." George said as he followed his twin out to the showroom. He looked up to see Katie coming through the doors.

She grinned as she came to move next to him. "Ginny brought a friend of hers to my baby shower. She's perfect for…. Fred!" Katie seemed startled to see his twin next to him. "How's everything in Hogsmeade?"

"Coming along well." He replied. "I'm still with Natalie." She opened her mouth than snapped it closed. "I like her, Kates."

"I don't see how." She replied taking advantage of their long friendship to speak her mind. "This friend of your sister's, now, she's perfect for you. She's funny and smart and…"

"Has a great personality."

"And more curves than a veela. I know because Fleur was there."

"I'm not interested."

"He's got his eye on someone other than Natalie if it makes you feel better." George announced. "Some brunette that ran into him."

"And George, here, is trying to play matchmaker between me and our newest employee." Fred shook his head. "If you'd just let me be, you'd see that Natalie and I get along fine." Katie huffed but didn't say anymore on the subject. She was quite aware of the stubbornness of the twins.

Cece let out a laugh as she fixed a cup of tea for Ginny and kept an eye on James as he eyed the candy bowl in the living area. "You better ask your mum, young man." She said without turning from the stove.

Ginny burst into laughter herself. "You're much better than I am at that. You're almost up there with my mum. She didn't even have to be in the same room as…." She trailed off as Cece suddenly turned.

"Madeline, what are you up to, young lady!"

"Nothing, mama." Came the reply.

"I don't believe you. You better come out of there with my wand."

Ginny's eyes widened as the seven year old came out with a hangdog expression and her mum's wand in hand. "I take that back, you are as good as my mum, you just need a few more."

"Albus, don't pull your sister's hair." Cece swept up Lily. "They're so much sweeter when they're younger." Lily latched onto her brown hair and she made a face. "Maybe not." Ginny laughed and took the baby from her.

The two were quiet until Ginny finally broached the subject that had her worried. "I think you should tell the twins."

"What good would that do?"

"Fred…"

"I saw the girl he's seeing." Cece said quietly, firmly cutting Ginny off. "I can't compete with someone like that. I'm dinner at home, she's French cuisine."

"Fred doesn't like French food."

"He seemed to like her."

"He would like you, especially if he knew."

"I made my decision, Gin."

Natalie Harris had made a decision as well and she sat tapping her manicured nails on her desk in the ministry of magic as she thought about her plans to get Fred Weasley to the alter within the next three months. She wasn't meant to be working as some man's secretary. She was meant to be a wealthy man's trophy. There was nothing wrong with admitting that she wasn't the smartest or most talented witch, but she knew that she had enough beauty to overshadow those little facts. As to children,…well, Fred was from a big family and there would be plenty of little children so she wouldn't have to…. She wrinkled her nose.

Her plan consisted of three steps. The first was to get a true statement of commitment from Fred. He had been a hard one to pin down on such things and Natalie was never sure if she was the only one he was seeing or if there was someone else. The second step would be to get a nice heavy diamond on her finger. It wouldn't be until her third step, an expensively large wedding was over that she would know that she had just what she deserved.

Of course, there was one thing that stood in her way, Fred's family. It was as if they had decided as one not to like her. She didn't understand why. He was nothing more than a big kid and he was lucky to have a chance with someone as sophisticated and classy as she was. He was okay looking and his joke shops had made him filthy rich, which made him just the type of guy she always thought she'd settle down with one day.

She looked up to find him coming through the door and smiled up at him with a smile that she had perfected in her years at school. "What a wonderful surprise."

"How about grabbing something to eat with me?"

"I'd love to."

Cece stirred the cauldron and looked over at George. "You should be more careful."

"Are you sure you should be brewing me an antidote?"

"I passed my potion OWL and NEWT with O's." She replied. Severus had told her that she was a good student in his opinion when she had spent time with him. The grades were recorded and Cece had looked them up because she had been curious to find out how she did in school. While staying with Severus, she had brushed up on making potions with his help. Now, she was comfortable in brewing the antidote for the potion that George had been working with that currently had him covered in blisters.

"You know that means that you could brew those potions that Fred and I aren't supposed to."

"I could, but that doesn't mean that I will."

"Come on, Cece, you know you don't want to leave it up to us."

"George, it's problematic enough that you treat me different from everyone else who works in the shop."

"Well, you don't really need to work for us. I mean not in a normal sense since you're well off financially speaking. Fred and I were only giving you a job in the shop because of Ginny. I'm going to talk to Fred about putting you in a more executive position. Keep you in charge of mail orders but maybe working a bit with the two of us in our projects. Ginny mentioned what kind of a student you were. How many OWLs and NEWTs did you receive?"

"Some."

"Potions, which others? It doesn't matter if it wasn't a lot."

"George, I received all my OWLs and NEWTs with all Os and Es." She answered. "Just because I was in Hufflepuff doesn't mean that I'm an idiot." She poured a draft into a cup and handed it to him. He drank it quickly.

"I'd never accused you of being dumb." He replied going to the sink to rinse the cup he had just drained.

"Sorry, bad habit." She smiled sheepishly. "Most of the people who attended Hogwarts don't give those in my house much chance to be anything but Hufflepuffs."

"I will never doubt the intelligence of a Hufflepuff again." George said putting a hand over his chest as if solemnly swearing something.

Cece gave him a push. "You're such a dork."

He grinned as he sat down again. "What's this that I hear that you went to Hogsmeade with Draco Malfoy in your fifth year?"

"I claim temporary insanity." She grinned then shrugged. "He was cute in an obnoxious sort of way." She looked over her patient. "A few minutes and you'll be back to normal."

"I have a feeling that you're going to come in very handy." He stood up and picked up the keys and package that Cece had left sitting out on a corner of the counter. She hadn't been able to bring herself to look in at the house. Severus's announcement had been crushing enough. "Gringotts? Family vault."

"In a matter of speaking." She evaded.

"What's this one to?"

"A house." It sounded more like a question than an answer, so she continued. "It has a lovely library but the house itself is a bit too dark. It will take a while before I'd move in with Maddie, so you're still stuck with me."

"Good."

"I spoke to Fred yesterday."

"Don't you talk to him everyday?" Cece questioned cheekily as she shuffled through a load of orders that had just come in the morning post. She was seated at the desk in the corner of his and Fred's work room, a pair of reading glasses tipped on her nose as she worked her way through the orders.

"We're going to offer you that position that we talked about."

"Shouldn't that go to someone who's been here longer than me?" Cece asked. "I

don't even know exactly where all the products are located in the backroom."

"Now, don't worry. It's only for two weeks to see how you work out then its either we keep you there or you're back to the floor."

"Two weeks?"

"Two weeks."

"I suppose, after all, what can happen in two weeks?"

"I knew you'd feel that way about it." George grinned. He was quite sure a lot could happen in two weeks and he had high hopes for these two.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

Chapter Eleven

Fred eyed the brunette that sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks. Her drink sat untouched, while she chatted with Neville Longbottom of all people. She laughed at something Longbottom said and gave a smile that showed off a set of dimples. She leaned forwards and gave Neville a playful push. Fred let out a low growl.

"All alone?" Katie asked as she stopped near the table, where Fred sat.

"No, I'm waiting for Natalie." He said without taking his eyes off of the brunette.

Katie's eyes widened and she grinned widely. "Who's the brunette?" She questioned even though she recognised Ginny's friend who had came to her baby shower. "She seems quite comfortable with Neville."

"She isn't interested in him."

"Talked to her about that?"

He looked up startled.

Cece glanced over Neville's shoulder at Fred. She had known the moment that he had entered the pub. It had been as if an electric shock travelled through her body and left every inch of it in tense alert. She knew of the risk of running into Fred when she had agreed to have lunch with Neville and Luna at the Three Broomsticks. Luna was running late from an interview she had had for the Quibbler. Neville had picked the spot for lunch since he was at Hogwarts since school had started a bit ago. George had mentioned wanting Cece at the store in Hogsmeade during the school's visits and she'd only just given in on the subject.

"Don't tell me that you've fallen for one of your bosses." Neville spoke in the quiet way that Cece barely remembered and her stomach clinched at the restating of how her feelings for Fred weren't good.

"No, I just haven't really met Fred. I'm curious about him." She shrugged. "Is George and him really all that alike?"

"I couldn't tell you. I never spent that much time personally with either of them. You'll have to judge for yourself. After all, the first trip is scheduled for a month's time."

"Already?" She questioned as panic clawed its way out of the pit of her stomach.

"You'll do fine, Cece. You were always the one with a calm head."

"Look, there's Natalie." There was anything but joy in Katie's tone as she eyed the dark haired witch. "I'll leave you to staring at your brunette until your girlfriend gets over here." She purposely weaved her way to the table knowing that such action would have Fred panicking. She glanced back to see that he was definitely pale before coming to stop next to Neville. "I wasn't expecting to see you, Cece. George hasn't been too much of a bother?"

"Not in the least." Cece immediately replied with a smile for the blonde. "Care to join us? We've been waiting for Nev's fiancée but she's running late."

Katie gave a large smile at the words that put to ease the worry that there might be something between the brunette and the professor. "Just for a moment. I've told George that his work habits are terrible and with you and Maddie upstairs, he has a better reason for coming home as he should. I suppose Fred would be the same way if not for the fact that he's not close to getting married." She watched with concealed delight when the other woman's eyes went to the table where Fred sat. "I'm sure with the right female…" she trailed off. "I forgot I'm supposed to be meeting Angelina. I'll see you later."

"I'll be back at the shop after lunch." Cece replied. "I don't normally go too far."

Katie shook her head at the brunette's words and made a move to leave the pair alone. As she left the pub, she grinned upon seeing that Fred wasn't paying the slightest attention to his companion. She made her way to the shop in Diagon Alley and stood in the doorway watching George for a moment with an amused smile as he worked on some new item for the shop. She had been quite surprised the first time that she had seen him and Fred at such work, because that's what it was to any other person, work.

As if sensing her stare, George turned and smiled. "Hello, beautiful."

"Fred's absolutely besotted."

"And this makes you happy how?" He asked. He knew better than anyone else how much Katie disliked Natalie.

"Because Cece's perfect for him, even you see that."

"What? Wait, how do you know this?"

"I was in Hogsmeade and ran into Fred as he was waiting for Natalie. He was watching Cece like he's already laid claim on her. Isn't this terrific?"

"So, Cece's his brunette." George murmured softly. "I wonder how he's going to react when he find out she works for us."

"What does that matter? She's perfect for him."

"He has a no dating employees policy."

"Come on, he's Fred. I thought there wasn't a rule that you two didn't break."

"Only one." George returned with a grin.

"I'll get us another round and then I've got to get back to work." Cece said with a smile towards Luna and Neville.

"None for me I've got to go back to the castle. See you later, Cece." Neville gave her a quick hug.

Luna murmured that she'd like another drink. Cece got up and made her way through the crowd. She arrived at the bar next to Fred. She knew he was there without looking for a feeling like an electric shock jump through her system. "So, we met again." She grinned.

He looked up with surprise written clearly on his face. "So, we do. I'm Fred Weasley by the way, but you already knew that."

"Yes, I did." She returned pertly. "And I'm…."

"Darling, I changed my mind. Let's leave."

Cece gathered the drinks that were put out for her. "I'm in the way, sorry." She said before making her way back to her table. She felt like she had just lost something important and wondered if this was what fate was going to offer her now that she knew that although she was drawn to Fred that it wasn't right that she take him away from someone else. The words from Severus's note came to mind and she wondered if she should try to follow them just once. Shaking her head over such thoughts, Cece sat back down in her seat only to find that Ron was now sitting at the table and Luna had disappeared.

He grinned at her. "What no drink for me? I thought we'd decided to run away with each other."

"Hermione would have both our heads on a platter and I happen to like my head being attached to my body." She retorted as she pushed one of the unopened butterbeers towards him. "Take it." She said when he went to return it. "I've got to get back to work shortly."

"Have you told them yet?"

"I don't know whose worse you, Ginny, or Harry." She shook her head at him as she grinned. "Your wife is the only one who hasn't badgered me."

"We saw how he took your disappearance, Iliana."

"Shh!" Her eyes darted in the direction that Fred had gone with his girlfriend. "What if he was to hear you?"

"What does it matter, Cece? You can't say that you're not a bit crazy about him."

"I don't know him." She put a hand up to forestall his comment. "Sure, I'm attracted to him but that only goes so far. And it's not just me, I have Maddie to worry about."

"Fred loves kids. You should see him with all his nieces and nephews."

"Ron, please." She stood up. "I can't do this. He's with someone else and I am not one whit of competition for someone like her."

He stood up as well. "Cece, don't you see how wonderful you are?"

"I'm not wonderful, Ron. I'm just me. I've got to get back to work."

"He's still in love with you."

"He was never in love, only in lust." She retorted before heading out the door. She apparated to the store, not noticing the brown eyes that watched her.

Fred paced the small flat over the Hogsmeade location. It could be only a coincidence, but he was quite certain that what he saw and heard was what he saw and heard. Now, the only problem was what he could do. He'd only heard Ron's words as he walked passed the table and then stayed where he could at least see them. He wished that he had had an Extendable Ear with him then he would know exactly what went on between the pair but he didn't like the agitation that was clear between the two. And the smiles that she'd given his brother made his blood boil.

"Is there a problem with the shop? Something go wrong?" George questioned looking slightly worried. He had problems of his own; Cece had decided to move into the house that she had inherited mysteriously. He didn't want her to move. Then he wouldn't have her to run to when a problem occurred in the store that he or Fred were unsure of how to handle, like when Ashley had burst into tears the other day. And he'd become use to dropping by the flat. Cece was like a sister that he didn't know that he had. Besides, if she moved then there would be less of an opportunity to get her and Fred together.

"No, Ron's having an affair."

"What?"

"Yeah with my brunette. I saw her today having lunch with Neville and Luna then Ron showed up and I heard them."

George frowned. Cece had taken off for lunch with Luna and Neville and Katie did say Fred's brunette was their employee, but her having an affair with Ron. It wasn't possible, was it? "Are you sure?"

"I heard him talking about them running away together."

"Come on, Ron would never do that. He's madly in love with Hermione."

"I'm telling you what I know."

"Who knows what?" Ginny's voice came drifting towards them.

Fred shook his head but George spoke up. "Fred says that Ron's making plans to run away with Cece."

"Cece?" Fred looked confused while their sister burst into peals of laughter. "It's a joke between the two of them. I'm sure that she said something about Hermione killing them for trying. Hermione would trust Ron with Cece just like I would with Harry. The first time that Ron asked her to run away with him was because of the cheesecake she brought to dinner. Everyone raved over it." She grinned. "Cece didn't miss a beat. She told him that she would but her and Harry were already making plans. Harry spit out his drink, he was so startled. Now, the three of them are always teasing the each other. I'm no more worried about it than anything else."

"Cece?" Fred murmured. "How did you know the name of the woman who I was talking about?" He asked George.

"Because Cece works for you." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Cece is my friend that I brought in for an interview."

"The one you hired without my okay?"

"The one who made us a sale before I gave her a job."

"She's your friend you took to Katie's baby shower." He frowned putting it all together. He was unusually quiet as George and Ginny talked for a bit and Ginny explain that she had been looking for George to invite him to the house for dinner. After she left, Fred realised that he wasn't included mainly because like the rest of his family Ginny didn't care for Natalie.

"Fred, is something wrong?"

"I want her."

"She's transferring to this store before the first Hogsmeade weekend for the students."

"You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand and you will not loose us one of the best employees that we've ever had."

"I thought you wanted this."

"I want for you to find someone who can really make you happy."

"She's perfect."

"Trust me, I know Cece and she isn't perfect. She'll be the first one to tell you that." George shook his head at his brother. "Why do you always have to take it to extremes? It's never that you simply fancy a girl. Oh no, not you. You want her, you have to have her."

"It was the same with you and Katie."

"The difference is I love Katie and I know Katie, I don't simply think she'd look nice in my bed."

"George, you don't understand. There's just something about her that pulls at me and won't let me go."

"That's called lust."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I've come to a standstill on our latest product and need you to check on it and see if you can find the problem."

"Let's go then."

"About Cece…."

"Let's not." Fred returned.


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_This is the last of the revision so after this chapter, it's new! ~ Vivi_

Chapter Twelve

Ashley let out a whistle when she caught sight of the brunette. She had come into work after Cece and this was the first time she had seen her out of her magenta robe. "You look hot." She said as she eyed Cece's outfit. The dove-grey skirt with its white pinstripes ended just above her knees and the white button-down shirt was open just enough to draw eyes in the right direction. Her hair had been charmed to just past her shoulders and was clipped back at the bottom of a braid. The four-inch dove-grey heels caught Ashley's attention the most. "I love the shoes."

"I had to get them when I saw them." Cece replied as she slipped on her magenta robes and grinned. "Not that I needed another pair of shoes."

"What's got you all dressed up?"

Cece flushed. "I've taken up a position that'll have me working more in the back. Mr. Weasley said something abut having me work on the potions for the products since I 'O'ed my OWL and NEWT."

"Better you than me, I did horribly in that class." She replied. "Got to get back out there."

Cece might have thought this was her way of getting away if she hadn't heard the ring of the door's bell herself. She turned towards the boxes and tilted her head as she studied the labels that she'd insisted be put on the various products. She took a step back to see them more clearly at the top. Her heel caught on the hem of her robe and she fell backwards right into a hard chest. A pair of arms wrapped about her, tightened slightly, and then set her on her feet. Turning several shades of red, Cece turned. For a moment, she thought it was simply George but then her eyes met his and a familiar jolt passed through her.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley."

Fred grimaced at the name and the tone at which it was used. He had a feeling that if he was to pursue this woman that it would take a lot more than him simply catching her. "Please call me Fred." When her eyes widened, he realised his mistake and covered it quickly. "We're going to be working closely in your new position." Her eyebrows raised and he flushed. "I mean that George told me about you and…"

"I understand, Mr. Weasley." She returned smoothly.

"You don't have to bother with the robe in the backroom and we have something for you to work on." George said stepping from the shadows.

Cece shrugged. "Okay." She followed the pair into the workroom and after removing her robe tossed it onto the chair of the desk. She turned to find that George's eyebrows had risen a bit before he grinned at her and turned to whatever it was that he had on the table. Fred, on the other hand, seemed to be unable to decide what he wanted to stare at more, her legs or her chest until George tugged him over to the table and came to talk to Cece about what they needed.

"I'm going to need a book for this. I'll see what I've got at the house." She told George. "And then I'll see about getting the ingredients."

"Make sure you charge them to the store."

Cece rolled her eyes at the pair before grabbing her robe and disappearing out the door. It took her two hours to do what she said she would and upon returning asked to work upstairs, which was fine by George since whenever she was in the room, Fred was good for nothing.

"Why don't you go upstairs and check on Cece?" George said when the pair had finished up. "That is if you can control yourself."

"I'm not going to do anything that you wouldn't in my position." He returned heading out of the workroom.

"That's what I'm afraid of." He murmured.

Fred took the steps two at a time and entered the flat quietly. His eyes widened at the change in the place. He found Cece in the kitchen muttering to herself as she poured the potion into vials. Her hair was curling from the moisture rising out of the cauldron and she paused and bit her bottom lip. Fred crossed the floor before his mind was completely made up.

_"I'm going to kiss you."_

_ "What?" Cece frowned as she put the last vial into the stand._

_ "I'm going to kiss you unless you tell me no right now." He grasped her by her hips and pulled her into his body "Last chance."_

_ "Just shut up and kiss me." She said before she leaned forwards and pressed her lips to his. One of Fred's hands deftly undid her braid and tangled into her free hair as the other tightened on her hip and pushed her back into the table. Cece's arms wrapped about Fred's waist as she surrendered to him the way he wanted her to. He pressed her onto the top of the table as one of his hands started to slide up her skirt. His mouth trailed over her throat and _

_she moaned out his name…._

"Mr. Weasley?" Fred's eyes flew open and he found the brunette eyeing him or more correctly the death grip he had on a chair. She gave him a sweet smile. "Is everything, okay?"

"Yes, fine, everything's fine." He said releasing the chair but refusing to move from behind it. "George sent me up to check on you."

"He always seems to worry about nothing." She said as she picked up the rack and balanced it precariously on one hand as she used her wand to clean up the cauldron and the mess she'd made in making the brew. Fred rescued the rack from falling to the floor. "Thank you, Freddy." She said absently and he felt a twinge of something at the nickname. At the same time he was just thankful she wasn't calling him Mr. Weasley. "I can take that back now."

"That's okay, I'll carry it." He watched as she drew her magenta robe on and once again he was forced to realise that she was out of his reach as long as she wore the thing. "George said that you'll be moving to Hogsmeade to work with me on a few of our projects and to be there for the Hogsmeade trips."

She gave a nod. "That's right. Do you have a lot you want me to do?"

Fred's eyes glaze for a moment before he shook his head. "Sorry. What did you say?"

Cece let out a low laugh. "I was asking about what you had lined up for me in Hogsmeade." She said as he ushered her towards the stairs. She stopped suddenly when she heard a voice coming from the other side of the door. Fred bumped into her and she would have fallen off the step if he hadn't wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back into him. His breath whispered against the base of her neck and she would have sworn that his lips brushed against her skin before he released her. "Sorry, but…" The door swung open to reveal George and Fred's dark-haired witch.

Natalie's eyes snapped with anger that she quickly covered with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Who's your friend, darling?"

"Natalie, this is Cece."

"Hello." Cece said cautiously as she turned and gathered the rack out of Fred's hands. "Freddy didn't think that I could make it down the stairs without dropping the potion that I worked so hard on. Here you are, George." She held the rack out and barely kept from returning the grin that George gave her. He'd been after her using his first name since she started at the store. "I better get back in the store."

"It looked like Malfoy came in with his kid, are you sure you want to go in there?"

Cece's laughter rang out at George's words. "It was just one Hogsmeade visit." She lied to see if he would catch her on it.

"That's not what Ginny said. She said he was besotted with you."

"More like my bloodlines."

"You sure about that?"

"Absolutely." She replied as she took the last step off the stairs and turned putting herself directly in front of Natalie and gave Fred what she hoped was a sexy smile. "When do you want me?" She barely kept from laughing when his brown eyes glazed over as she had expected they would.

"Next week." He said shaking himself from his thoughts.

"Next week, it is." She smiled before heading out the door with George following behind her. She slowed her steps as they entered the store. "Was that very bad of me?"

"I thought it was quite funny."

"I couldn't resist."

"When are you going to tell him, Iliana?" George asked suddenly.

Her eyes widened and she came to a complete stop. "You know? How do you know?"

"I got it out of Ron. Now, don't blame him. I knew there was some reason that you knew Sirius, Remus, and Tonks. I just didn't put it all together on my own. Although I should have with you calling him Freddy." He paused. "Are you in love with my brother?"

"I don't know him, George. As I told Ron, there's a healthy dose of lust but the two of us don't know one another."

"Thank god, one of you has a bit of sense." He grinned at her. "Now, we just need to get Natalie out of the way."

"Easier said then done." She motioned out the window where Fred and the witch could be seen. "After all, she doubles as a wrap."

George burst into laughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, I'll back you against her any day. That was the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Fred is obsessed."

"Should I be scared?"

"Perhaps."

Cece wiped her flour covered hands on her jeans and called out to Maddie as she made her way to the door that someone was knocking on. She got to the door at the same time as her daughter. Maddie flung open the door and flung herself into George's open arms.

"I hope you don't mind but we brought someone else along with us."

"That's fine the more the merrier as they say." She grinned.

"Who else is coming?" Katie asked as she made her way pass her husband and his admirer.

"Neville and Luna, Ginny and Harry, Ron and Hermione, and all respective children."

"Sounds like a lot, are you sure it's not a problem that I came along?" Fred spoke for the first time.

"Absolutely, Freddy, you'll even things out." Cece replied as she smiled. "If you don't mind, I need to get back to making dinner."

"Need any help?" Katie asked.

"No, I'm good."

"You certainly are." Fred muttered under his breath before turning his attention to the miniature version of Cece that George was still holding. "And who is this?"

"Maddie, this is my brother, Fred." George smiled at the seven year old.

"You look just alike." Maddie announced with a large grin.

"That's because we're twins."

"Trey and Troy are twins and they don't look alike."

"We're identical twins."

"Oh," she said as if it made all the difference in the world.

"Put the little mother down, so she can take care of her herd." Ginny said as she entered the house. As soon as Maddie's feet hit the floor, she let out a shriek. "Jamie! Andie! Val!"

Cece appeared at the noise from her daughter. "Oh, I forgot that they'd be staying the night. Thank you for bringing them with you, Ginny." She turned to her daughter. "Madeline Elizabeth, how many times have I told you that you are not to scream in the house?"

"Sorry, mama."

"Don't do it again."

"How's dinner going?" Ron asked as he passed Rose to Fred.

"All but done." Cece replied with a smile as she took Lily from Ginny.

"You're covered with flour. Cooking like the muggleborn you are?"

"I use magic where I can but I'm not completely where I can use just magic, but give me time.


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here it is an all new chapter! Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! ~ Vivi_

Chapter Thirteen

Unlike the dinner parties that Natalie often made him attend, the gathering at Cece's house seemed to be very casual. That was obvious both in the way everyone was dressed as well as the children that were not only present but loud and boisterous. The food was rather simple but at the same time, he had a feeling that even without picking up her wand, Cece was able to create magic the same way that his mother could. Fred watched Cece as dinner came slowly to an end or at least made it to dessert in a parlor off of the dining room. Instead of hurrying to clean everything up she left the table cluttered with dishes and joined the adults laughing and joking in the other room without giving a glance to the mess. His mother would never leave a mess but he felt it was better that she told everyone that it could be dealt with later and was soon entertaining them with a story about her and her siblings. She had he found three older siblings and that she saw her two brother-in-laws as simply her brothers and she adored her nieces and nephews. He found that she had latched onto his nieces and nephews as though they were a part of her family and his siblings and their spouses seemed to treat her as if she was a part of the Weasley clan. He wondered what his parents would make of her then shook the thought out of his head. Dessert threw whatever simplicity he had seen in the dinner out the window as the elegant creations that each adult got while the children had a simpler version in the kitchen before rushing off to play upstairs.

"These must have taken you forever." Katie said as she examined her plate.

"I love to bake. I once thought that I'd become a pastry chef, but then I found out I'd be expected for the most to make the same thing over and over again and what's the fun in that." Cece smiled as she handed the last plate out before sitting down next to Fred with her own. "I have much more fun experimenting in my kitchen. Maybe one day I'll add a recipe to the ones handed down by my grandmother." She smiled before bitting into the dessert on her plate.

Fred watched her as she ate the treat on her plate. Unlike Natalie, Cece actually ate the food on her plate instead of simply moving it about the plate. By the time she finished eating, Fred was feeling rather jealous of her fork. She sat the plate down on the table on her side of the table and licked her lips.

"Fred, what do you think?" Ron asked obviously not noticing as everyone, but Cece and Hermione who were deep in a conversation about some muggle novelist and Luna, who often did not notice anything but what was going on in her head, had noticed that Fred wasn't paying a bit of attention to the conversation going on around him.

"Huh, uh, yeah, that's fine." His eyes didn't move from Cece who was grinning about something she said that had Hermione gapping at her. Ron looked utterly flumoxed for he had just been suggesting that Fred look after the children the next weekend so he and Hermione could go out to dinner and movie with Harry and Ginny.

"Well, that's great." Ginny announced to everyone's amusement. "I wasn't sure you'd agree because Lily's been a bit of a handful with her teething and all."

"That's great."

"I'm sure that if you need any help that you can floo Mum or maybe Cece."

"Cece, yeah."

"What?" Cece looked up at her name. She blinked and flushed when she found herself being stared at the same way that Katie had been staring at the dessert when she brought it out. She glanced over to see the amusement of everyone else and drew herself in a bit. "Did you need something, Fred?"

The look on his face was comical and became funnier still when Harry announced what he had agreed to. "It seems that Fred would like your assistance next weekend, Ce."

"I would?"

"For what?" Cece asked at the same time.

"Watching the kids for the four of us while we go out." Ginny smiled.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem if Fred thinks he'll need me." Almost on schedule, Fred's eyes started to glaze but he seemed to catch himself this time.

"Great, that's settled then." Hermione grinned. "We better get going, it's almost Rose and Hugo's bedtime. Come on, Ronald." Cece had stood up and exchanged a hug with Hermione before Ron gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, everyone. We'll have to put running away together on hold for a bit since it appears that Hermione and I have a date."

Cece let out a laugh, while Fred looked crossly at his brother before turning his dark look towards Harry who had stood up as well. "That all depends on if I haven't taken off with her by then." He kissed her cheek. "I'll get Lily and round up James and Albus."

Ginny stood up and gave Cece a hug. "Come on, Ce, James will be devastated if we leave without him getting a kiss from you."

"I'll be back." Cece said making a move to follow Ginny out of the room.

"Hate to ruin the evening but we have to go," George said as he and Katie stood up, "Katie has to work early."

"I wish I could help you clean up but I promised to help Madame Pomfrey restock the cupboards in the hospital wing tomorrow." Neville said as he and Luna got ready to leave.

"Oh, it's no problem." Cece smiled at everyone. She received hugs and kisses from the children than left with the exception of the youngest who got kissed instead.

Fred followed the group towards the door. "I'll stay and help clean up."

"Oh, Fred, that's not necessary."

"I insist." He said as he shut the door after the last of his family disappeared. They worked silently until all the dishes were in the kitchen.

Cece had her back to Fred as she set the dishes to washing. He stepped up behind her and startled her into splashing him with water. She turned with a hand over her mouth and her eyes wide. "Oh, I didn't mean to do that." The look on his face was so comical that she bit back a laugh and let out a snort instead.

The look in his eyes should have warned her as she held out a dishtowel. He grabbed her wrist instead of the towel and pulled her towards the sink. Before long the two were both rather damp and laughing. He still held onto her wrist but she had slumped against him with her head on his chest as she shook with suppressed laughter or so he hoped. When she looked up as she pushed the wet hair out of her face and smiled, he couldn't help but smile back at her and move a strand she missed out of the way. He traced the side of her face and bent towards her.

His lips brushed against hers and settled as a feeling of familiarity spread over him before he cupped her face with his hands and deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she leaned into him.

Giggling from the doorway drew them apart. Fred grimaced at the sight of four little girls staring at him. Cece seemed to take it in stride and he wondered if it was normal for her to kiss men before her daughter. She shooed them out of the room and turned towards him and the thought was forgotten because it was obvious that she was perhaps even more embarrassed than him.

"Oh, gods."

"Um, I think I should be going." She gave him a weak nod as he didn't bother making for the door but apparated from the spot.

Cece leaned against the counter and stared unseeingly at the dishes. What on Earth could she have been thinking to have let him kiss her and to kiss him back like she did? She shook her head. Monday morning would arrive all to soon and that would have her in close confines with him at the Hogsmeade store.

"Cece," Fred ran a hand through his hair as he called the brunette's attention to him.

"Yeah?" She said absentmindedly as she levitated a box down from the stack in the storeroom since the store was a lot smaller which meant only one or two workers were needed, except on the weekends the students visited the town. "I think we should stock a few more of these for the upcoming visit, what do you think?"

"That's fine."

"And I was thinking of doing some sort of a display by the registrar, some of the smaller products might be used for impulse buys."

"It's a joke shop, Ce, I would think most of the buys are impulsive." He felt like kicking himself as the words came out.

She let out a laugh. "I suppose it's one way to look at it, but think about it this way. When you and George were at Hogwarts and Zonko's was open and the two of you came in for some thing or other, wouldn't you look around at the products and decide which you felt you needed or could be used for something or another that you planned?"

"I suppose."

"Now, when a current Hogwarts prankster comes in here during a visit to Hogsmeade, he or she may be looking for something particular or something to fulfill a certain objective but then as they have what they are buying and they are standing in line, if you have some of your smaller products nearby, it gives them a chance to see something they might not have noticed earlier."

"Now, I see why George wanted you here."

"We all do what we can, so what did you want?"

"What?"

Cece let out another laugh. "My sister, Julie, always says that most people's minds do not work at the same speed as mine. I am forever losing her during a conversation because of subject changes." She smiled. "Earlier before I got you off lost in the world of product placement, you wanted to say something."

"I did actually," he raked his hand through his hair again. "It's about the other night?"

She shot him a questioning look. "What about it?"

"I wanted to apologise for what happened, it was out of line and..."

"Freddy, you don't have anything to apologise for." His head popped up and he stared at her for a moment causing her to feel more flustered than she already did. "I mean it was a perfectly nice kiss," her cheeks heated at his raised brow. "That is what we're talking about, isn't it?"

"Nice? Perfectly nice?"

"It's nothing to be offended over, Freddy." To hide her now rapidly reddening cheeks, Cece continued moving the box into the showroom. "I was just saying that the kiss was..."

"I got it, Cece. It was perfectly nice." Fred shook his head as he turned back towards the shop's workroom. "Perfectly nice, ha." He muttered to himself. "It was a great kiss, no, a spectacular kiss, a..."

"Oh, do go on," Bill grinned from where he sat at the desk.

"The other night I went with George and Katie to a dinner at Cece's and after everyone left, we kissed. It wasn't much I suppose since we were interrupted but just now, she said it was," his nose wrinkled, "a perfectly nice kiss, perfectly nice."

"You do realise that you'll have to kiss her again?"

"Bill."

"No, I mean it, the pride of the Weasley males is now tarnished by the idea that we are lackluster kissers, which equates to being a lackluster lover." Bill shot Fred a grin. "You let one female think you can't kiss and it all goes down hill. They seem to have some sort of ability in knowing what others think of you."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Fleur wanted me to see if Cece would be willing to let Maddie stay with us for the weekend. Apparently¸ Mum has agreed to put together a tea for the girls at Val's request."

"Oh¸ hello¸ Bill." Cece grinned from the doorway.

"Can we steal your daughter away this weekend?"

"Is it for something sinister?" She questioned as she leaned against the doorjamb. "Because I prefer that I'm the one who corrupts her. I did give birth to her."

"Nothing like that." Bill grinned in return. "Val's hosting a tea on Saturday and a slumber party the night before."

"Just the three?" Cece frowned. "I'm glad the girls get along like they do but..."

"That's what Fleur and Mum were discussing. So¸ it will be the three at the house Friday night but about twelve little girls."

"Oh¸ my. Will Fleur be needing any help on this dangerous expedition?"

"No¸ Mum has agreed to help."

"Well¸ I suppose it will be okay." She gave a nod as the bell over the door rang out. "I better get back out there."


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here it is an all new chapter! Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review so I know that this is being read! ~ Vivi_

Chapter Fourteen

Bill waited until Cece's voice could be heard greeting the customer before turning back to Fred. "Don't forget what I said. You need to kiss that girl so that she can barely remember her name. The reputation of future Weasley males depend on it."

"I'm sure that's true." He rolled his eyes at his older brother.

"What's true?" George asked coming into the work room.

"Fred fell short in kissing Cece in a manner becoming a Weasley."

"What exactly does that mean?" George asked quite certain that he didn't want to know because he hadn't known that Fred had kissed Cece.

"Tell him." Bill ordered.

Fred rolled his eyes at his twin and let out a sigh. "After everyone left¸ we kissed. I went to apologize..."

"Which you should have obviously from what you were saying when you came in here." Bill interrupted¸ earning him a glare from Fred.

"She told me not to apologize and that the kiss was perfectly nice¸ perfectly nice." Fred ran his hand through his hair in aggravation.

"I told him that he had to kiss her again because he has besmirched the name of all Weasley males with the idea that one of us kisses only perfectly nice."

"He can do that on Friday night."

"Friday night?" Bill looked intrigued.

"He agreed to look after the kids while Ginny¸ Harry¸ Ron¸ and Hermione go out. Ginny suggested that you watch them at Cece's."

"Is she okay with this idea?" Fred asked.

"I asked Ginny and she was sure that Cece would be willing to look after them if you were busy." George waited to see if Fred would take the easy way out.

"I agreed to look after them and if Cece doesn't mind¸ I think if would be better to keep the kids at her house than here."

"Then you need to ask her." Bill grinned. "Come on." He grabbed George's arm.

"What do you mean that I need to ask her? Isn't that what you came here for?" Fred looked like he was ready to panic.

"You'll do fine. You're a big boy." Bill announced as he continued to pull George out of the shop¸ waving at Cece as they passed her.

"They seemed to be in a hurry." She said as he came to stand next to her at the counter.

"I suppose they do." He sighed and pulled a hand through his hair. She let out a bit of a laugh before reaching out to disentangle a paper from his hair. "Thanks." He smiled and started to lean closer. She seemed to be doing the same when the bell rang out and they pulled away. He watched the customer for a moment before glancing at her. "I'm suppose to watch the kids on Friday and I was wondering if you're still willing to help me with them? It's not that I couldn't handle them, it's just that, well, I'd appreciate some company." He regretted the words that moment that they came out. To his ears¸ it had sounding like a cheesy come-on.

Her brows had raised as if proving his point but she smiled at him. "Sure¸ I don't have any plans for Friday night."

His eyes widened as relief shot through him. It hadn't occurred to him that she could have plans. The relief he felt intensified. If she had had plans for Friday¸ they wouldn't have included Maddie because she had easily agreed to letting the girl go to Bill's. That would make any plans possible that included another adult¸ another male. A feeling surged through him at the idea of Cece going out with another male¸ in the arms of that faceless male¸ being kissed by that male. He knew the emotion because he had felt it when he had seen Sirius touch Iliana in even a friendly manner. It was jealousy¸ plain and simple. He retreated to the workroom and pushed himself into his work in hopes of getting rid of the irrational feeling.

He was unaware of the time passing until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Fred?" He was a bit surprised that she was using his first name because she normally kept to calling him or George Mr. Weasley when they were working together except at certain times when she was distracted.

"We're closed for the night¸ do you need anything before I go?"

"You're here a bit late." He announced as the realization came to him.

She flushed slightly. "I traded shifts with Eric. I hope that's not a problem. He's filling in for me on Saturday."

The irrational feelings he had thought were gone came rushing back. "Oh¸ big plans?" He was glad the words came out rather nonchalantly.

"Actually¸ yes." She smiled. "Bill taking Maddie for the weekend saves me some trouble."

"Oh?" He bit out the word.

"Yeah¸ I dreaded the idea of taking her along." She shook her head. "She's a bit to energetic to spend the day in dusty shops where there's nothing but old books."

"You're shopping for books?"

"It's a bit of a guilty pleasure. I usually collect ones that catch my eye or have some sort of inscription that intrigues me. It's silly I suppose but..."

"It sounds... interesting."

"You don't have to lie."

"I'm not."

She eyed him as if reading the truth in his eyes. "Okay. I'm sorry that I..."

Fred put a finger on her lips stilling her words. "Let's not start that again." He traced her bottom lip with the tip of his finger and she seemed to lean towards him. He moved his hand so it cupped her cheek and began to lower his head towards her.

"Fred darling, are you still here?"

Cece pulled away from him as though she had been singed. "I... I should get going." She picked up her purse from where she had sat it when she had come into the room. "I'll see you tomorrow, Fred."

"Good night, Cece." He watched her leave before shoving his hand through his hair and heading to meet Natalie. Fred couldn't lie to himself. He'd rather be in the backroom finishing what he had started with Cece. _Perfectly nice_, he thought to himself. Perhaps, he should take Bill's advice and show her exactly how perfectly nice a kiss from him could be.

"Darling, there's a new gallery opening on Friday. Why don't we go and pick something out for you to wear to it." Natalie announced a she smoothed his robes over his shoulders.

"Friday? I'm sorry, Nat, but I promised to watch the kids for Ginny and Harry and Ron and Hermione." She looked slightly horrified and for once didn't complain about him calling her by a nickname. "You'll have to go to the opening without me."

She looked relieved that he didn't invite her to help him with the kids. "That's too bad. We would have had lots of fun." She ran a finger up his arm. "Especially after the show." Natalie leaned towards him, tilting her face up expectantly. For a moment, Fred thought about not kissing her, but knowing where that would take him had him brushing his lips lightly against hers. Natalie pouted, when he pulled away. She hated to think that the brunette who had just left had anything to do with Fred's kiss that was barely able to be named as such.

For the rest of the week, Cece tried to avoid being alone with Fred too often. It was a lot more difficult than it should have been because she didn't really want to avoid him or the possibility that he would kiss her again. As it was, even though she told herself not to, she found herself wishing that Eric was not working with the two of them, even if it was so she could go over the latest shipments for the mail orders. She told Eric that she was going to the back of the shop and to call if he needed her for anything.

Fred entered the shop from the normal Friday morning breakfast where he and George went over ideas for the store to see Cece disappearing into the back. He ordered himself not to follow after her like a lost puppy. After chatting with Eric for a while and coming up with enough things to do to keep him busy until after Eric's lunch-break, Fred gave into the temptation that seemed to always be there with the brunette and headed for the back room. He found Cece checking off packages from one of her numerous lists. A pair of reading glasses sat perched on her nose as she murmured to herself.

"Time for lunch, Cece."

She put up a finger to stall him. "Just a few more minutes."

"No," he pulled the quill and parchment out of her hands."They will still be there after you eat." She blinked at him as he pulled her glasses off and folded the arms before handing them back to her. "Come on, I'm buying." She tucked her glasses into her pocket and opened her mouth to reply. Forestalling her, Fred propelled her out of the back room. "Eric, we're off to lunch. See you in about an hour."

Cece was unable to think of a single thing to say until Fred had them seated at a table in the Three Broomsticks. "That was a bit highhanded of you." She said when she trusted her voice.

"You know as well as I do that you wouldn't leave until you had those orders completely done. Besides, we need to be ready for the battle tonight."

"Battle?" She repeated blankly.

"You and me against five little ones." She let out a laugh and he grinned back at her as Rosemarta came to the table with their orders.

"Now, you're a sight." The witch said as she put down Cece's drink. "I thought you were the one when you were in here the other day but seeing you with this one proves it."

"I'm sorry?" Cece looked at her in confusion.

"You were the girl that came in here with the Malfoy boy and a few Slytherins during a Hogsmeade visit and dumped a full cup of ice water into his lap. I remember because I thought it odd that you came to the bar and requested ice water when it was freezing outside and the uproar it caused, especially when that boy stood up." Rosemarta chuckled. "It looked like he'd wet himself. He seemed downright upset that he made you angry."

"Oh, I..." Cece flushed.

"So, you came to the village with Malfoy?" Fred looked incredulously at her.

"I was young." She flushed further. "We all make mistakes."

"When was this?"

"My fifth year." Her memory had gotten a bit clearer with the help of those who had once been her friends. "We went out for a little over two months."

"You were Malfoy's girlfriend. You didn't just go to Hogsmeade with him." He teased. He'd admit to being a bit jealous but he hadn't known of her back then. He had been obsessed over Iliana and still a bit preoccupied with a Hufflepuff that he saw often with her nose in a book in the library or on the grounds. He was glad that Malfoy seemed rather happily married.

"Yeah." She gave a nod. The ice water incident happen on the Hogsmeade visit before Christmas holidays. Out of the blue, he had approached her in the library one day and asked her to go with him. When they got to the pub in the village, she had been ready to strangle him because he had spent the entire carriage ride talking big to his friends and ignoring her. He had said something she took exception to, now she didn't even remember what it was that set her off, and she let him know exactly what she thought. After that he had actually been a pretty good guy as things went until he broke up with her without a reason. Of course, she knew why now.

"Date any other Slytherins?" Fred asked in amusement.

Cece shook her head. "Nope, not a lot of any from the houses. I didn't date a lot while at Hogwarts." Or after for that matter, she thought to herself. The two chatted for a while about nothing consequential until they had to head back to the shop. At the shop, Cece went back to working on the mail orders and Fred had to deal with a few problem that needed to be dealt with before students descended upon them.

He stayed away from her until Eric left. "Come on, Cece." He held out her purse to her. "Ginny owled to say that they decided to have us watch the kids at her house, so they won't have to worry about moving them or you keeping them til morning."

"I was wondering about that." She smiled as she pulled her hairtie out of her hair and shook out her ponytail.

Fred held out the purse and tried not to think of burying his hands in her hair. "Well, we better get a move on. We don't want them to be late for their reservations."

"No, we don't." She nodded as they headed for the fireplace.

_Later that night_..

"They're out." Fred announced as he returned to the living room and Cece came out of the kitchen."And dishes are done and put away." She replied falling onto the couch next to him.

"We make a pretty good team." He said, slipping an arm around her shoulders. He waited to see how she would react. He smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. Fred yawned and pulled her closer. He told himself that he'd only close his eyes for a minute.

_Want another chapter, leave a review!_


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I have really excellent reasons that because you'd rather be reading the story won't be bothered with. I've actually got this story almost finished and then I'm going to turn to my other fic that's posted, Out of Shadows and get it done and for those of you who also read my Sirius/OC fic, I'm thinking of doing another one soon. So, happy reading and hopefully reviewing! ~ Vivi_

Chapter Fifteen

Harry held open the door for his wife and almost walked into her when she stopped in her tracks. Ron and Hermione had headed home with promises to pick up their kids in the morning. Harry almost wished that they hadn't. Fred and Cece were sleeping on the couch. Fred's arm's were wrapped securely around the brunette with her head under his chin. They were so peaceful that Harry hated to disturb them but Ginny,obviously had no such problem. She moved briskly to the side of the sofa and shook Fred's shoulder. The pair looked blearily at her for a moment before sitting up.

"Go home," she announced to them. "And thanks so much." She kissed their cheeks and practically pushed them towards the door. She pulled Fred back by his arm. "It's late. You make sure Cece gets home alright."

He grinned at his little sister. "Absolutely." He wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist and they apparated from the spot.

They arrived at Cece's in the room that everyone had dessert in. She looked at him questioningly after walking towards the doorway. "Could I get you something to drink or..." She trailed off as Fred closed the distance between them. Without preamble, he captured her lips with his own. Her green eyes widened before drifting shut. Her hands swept up his chest and over his shoulders to bury her fingers in his hair. His were just as busy as he lined her body against hers and learned her curves that seemed both new and familiar at the same time. Somehow they made their way back to one of the sofas in the room.

_The next day..._

Cece sat at the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place sipping coffee from a brightly colored mug. She hadn't said much since she arrived at the house and Peony had just left her to wait for Sirius to come downstairs. He entered the room and concerned filled his eyes.

"What's wrong, Iliana?"

She didn't even bother to correct his use of what she supposed could be considered a nickname. "Last night, Fred and I babysat for Harry and Ginny's three and Ron and Hermoine's kids."

"And?"

"After Harry and Ginny came home, Fred and I went to my house."

Sirius's eyes darkened. "Did Fred..."

"Oh gods, no!" Cece shook her head forcefully. "We, well, we kissed and I don't know how I'm going to face him." She buried her face in her hands.

"That's what's got you worried." He let out his usual bark of laughter and grinned at the brunette. "If that's how your mind works I'm surprised that you aren't always exhausted."

"Sirius!" She pushed him. "It's not funny."

George walked into the workroom of the Diagon Alley shop and eyed his twin. Fred was whistling as he worked on some project or another. He turned as George entered and grinned widely. "I had the best night's sleep and have a couple great ideas for us to go over."

"How were the rugrats?"

"Oh, great. It was a lot of fun." He continued to smile as he turned back to the worktable. "Cece is great with kids. I know she has one but she should have like a dozen more." He trailed off as he remembered watching her rock Lily to sleep. It took only a little imagination to see that as how she would look like with a child of theirs. His eyes widened as he turned back to George. "Whoa."

"Huh?" His twin stared blankly at him.

"I think I'm getting a bit carried away. We just watched the kids and then Ginny suggested that I see Cece home."

"And?"

"We spent a couple hours snogging like a pair of teenagers on her couch." Fred grinned. "I'm sure she found it better than perfectly nice."

"And?"

"Well, I wouldn't have minded staying but that would have been way too fast. It would be the wrong move to make. Ce's far too classy." Fred said decisively. "She needs to be wooed. Cece's someone to spend the rest of your life with, not some bird you can bed after the first couple of dates." George stared at his twin as if he had never seen him before. "Not to mention there's Maddie. Ce's a single mum, I'm sure there's some rules to that that I'll have to learn."

"What happened to wanting Cece? Having to have her?"

"That's still there. I mean just look at her, but I think I understand what you were saying about Katie. I don't just want Cece, I want to know everything about her as well. She's just..." Fred threw down the quill that he had been writing with. "What the hell could I be thinking? Like she would want to settle for a guy like me. She needs someone who has their stuff together. Like she would take me serious for that matter."

George frowned.

_Later, Cece's home..._

"You have to tell him." George followed Cece into the room that she was currently painting in a muggle fashion. Flecks of the light green paint dotted her clothing and skin as well as the hair that swung out from the back of a baseball cap. "Please, Cece, you know he needs to know."

"I will tell him." She bit her lip. "It just has nothing to do with, well, anything."

"If you don't tell him and he finds out on his own. He's going to be hurt and feel betrayed. Especially with everyone else knowing."

"Not everyone knows." He gave her a look and she sighed. "Fine, I'll tell him." She chewed on her bottom lip. "What if he doesn't take it well? What if he can't accept me? As _her_ I was at least a little exotic and out of reach but I'm not like that, George. I'm just me. What if that's not enough?"

"Just tell him." George put his hand on her arm. "Then we'll go from there. A blind man could see you are perfect for each other."

"I love him, George. I tried to fight it and put it off as something else but," she shrugged. "I'm so scared."

"It'll be okay." He said, hoping with all his heart that it was the truth.

The Hogsmeade visit went over without too much hassle and the shop fell into a pattern. Fred began to take Cece to the Three Broomstick for lunch at least once a week but he hadn't asked her out even though he came to her house to spend an occasional evening with her and Maddie or just her on a weekend. They talked a lot but they hadn't kissed and a month passed after the night they spent babysitting without Cece receiving any sign from Fred that they were anything but friends and she couldn't bring herself to tell him about her being Iliana.

Cece felt numb as she stared out the front window of the shop at the familiar sight of Fred entangled with the beautiful Natalie. She didn't notice when George joined her at the counter until he let out a word that had her looking at him in surprise.

"Go home, Cece. You shouldn't have to watch this." He motioned to the pair.

"It's not like I can leave the shop every time she visits, George." She replied dryly. "I thought," she ran her hand through her hair that she had charmed into spiral curls that Fred hadn't so much as noticed and shook her head as she trailed off on whatever it had been she had thought and of what.

"Hello, George. I saw Fred outside being swallowed by the snake and who is this lovely lady next to you?" Lee Jordan had never held back what he thought of Natalie. His brown eyes traveled leisurely over the brunette next to George. Her vibrant green eyes stood out against her pale skin and her golden brown curls begged to be touched. He wished that he wasn't here because Katie had called in a favor that he owed her and free to charm the female before him.

George looked pained as he turned towards the woman at his side. "Cece, I'm not sure if you remember Lee from school. Lee, this is Cece Cresswell."

"I thought you looked familiar. You were a chaser for Hufflepuff a couple of years under us."

"Three," Cece answered automatically.

"That's right." Lee grinned and leaned against the counter. "I'm sure that a pretty lady like you has plans but would you be willing to have dinner with me tonight?"

Her eyes darted almost imperceptibly at the ringing of the bell. "I'd like that. I get off at five and I'll need to change."

"I'll make reservations for seven. There's a great Italian restaurant that I know. It's muggle." He shrugged.

"That will be fine."

"See you then, pretty lady." Lee grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to it. He watched her disappear into the backroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" George hissed as Fred headed into the shop.

"Katie thought I could help Fred pull his head out of his arse."

"Do you know what's going on?"

"Only that Fred has a thing for the beautiful Cece. I was only a bit surprised that he's been attracted to her for so long and still has done nothing."

"What?"

"She is the Hufflepuff he had a thing for the last couple years of school, isn't she?"

George stared at Lee. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it, but than only he and Lee had known of Fred's obsession for the serious Hufflepuff, who would have had to be in either Ron or Ginny's year. "Damn, I didn't realize that was Cece."

"Lee, it's been a while," grinned Fred. "I thought you had forgotten where our shops where."

"I'm awfully glad I didn't." Lee returned with a smile of his own.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"I just got a date with your employee with the sexy curls." Lee almost laughed at the confusion and then the dawning of who Lee's date was were clear on Fred's face.

"You have a date with Cece?"

"Yeah, I'm going to take her to dinner at Luigo's tonight. I can't wait till seven."

"I'm sure you can't." Fred said drily.

"How's things with Natalie?"

Lee stared at the female who had just entered the Leaky Cauldron. If she wasn't the only way to get Fred from the clutches of the ruthless but lovely Natalie, he would be willing to truly pursue her for himself. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and the pale purple dress she wore hugged her curves, before flaring about her knees.

"I should have known you'd look even better because very few people can wear magenta robes and look as lovely as you did." He said taking her hand and pulling her towards a table. "I thought we'd have a drink before going to dinner."

"Okay." Cece had been worried about accepting Lee's invitation and that she had only accepted out of spite but by the time they headed to the restaurant she had completely relaxed and was enjoying his company. They took a taxi to the restaurant that was busy and smelled distinctively of roasted garlic and cheese. Lee left her to speak to the hostess. Cece looked around the busy restaurant only to meet a familiar pair of brown eyes.

"Oh, Fred, look, it's Kiki." Natalie smiled at the brunette.

"Cece," Fred corrected and wished that he hadn't suggested Luigo's for dinner. The curls that he had wanted to bury his hands in since she had walked into the shop that morning hung about her shoulders and the dress concealed her body but still promised the curves that he knew were underneath the fabric.

"Hello, Fred, Natalie." Lee greeted the pair as he wrapped an arm around Cece's waist. "Smile like you know something they don't," he whispered into her ear. "After all, she doesn't know he brought her here to spy on you and me." She turned towards him, her eyes widening and her lips parted in surprise before letting out a low husky laugh. "That's it, sweetheart, you're killing him without even trying."

"What's the whispering about?" Natalie looked about ready to pull the brunette's curls out by the roots.

"Oh, Lee was telling me that he remembers my first game at Hogwarts. I could have told him that I didn't."

Lee grinned at her quick thinking and at the confusion on Fred and Natalie's faces. "Cece was out cold on her way to the hospital wing in the first five minutes, took a blunger straight to the side of the head."

"Damn." Fred muttered causing Natalie to send him a look.

"I did better the next time."

"You came back with a vengeance. I really thought that your house had a chance of coming at least behind Gryffindor."

"You played quidditch?" Natalie questioned snidely as if she thought quidditch was something sticky she found on the bottom of her shoe.

"Yeah, chaser." She smiled. "Oh, Freddy, since you're here I'll let you know that I figured out how to get rid of that side effect. You'll let George know." He nodded and opened his mouth to say something.

"Jordan, table for two."

"That's us. Ready, beautiful?" Lee grinned as his friend's eyes darkened at the endearment. He waited until they were seated and wine was poured into their glasses before speaking. "Cece, I suppose you're wondering why I asked you out and if it has anything to do with you being the gorgeous witch that you are."

"I don't think I'd phrase it like that." She answered cautiously.

"Katie asked me to pay some attention to a witch that Fred was interested in but for some reason not pursuing." He put his hand up to stall her. "I was just going to flirt with you when I came into the shop to get at Fred but when I saw you stand there next to George I came with an idea that I think you might find interesting."

Anger flared in her eyes and her voice was steely when she spoke. "Why?"

"Actually it is because I can't wrap my mind around any male in his right mind ignoring a chance at you and because I think Fred deserves someone who can make him happy and I don't see any possibility of Natalie being that person. You, on the other hand, are perfect."

"But I'm..."

"Perfect, I'm not saying you're a perfect person but that you're prefect for Fred."

"I don't know what to say." She bit her lip. "What's this plan of yours?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" The question was so surprising that Cece could only laugh as Lee grinned back at her. "We're going to flirt and act like we are getting close as can be and see how long it is before Fred freaks out." She laughed again and Lee watched over her shoulder as Fred looked ready to come out of his seat.

"This will never work but what do I have to lose?"

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	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here's another chapter to any and all of my readers in hopes that you'll forgive the wait. So, happy reading and hopefully reviewing! ~ Vivi_

Chapter Sixteen

A week later, Cece felt like smacking her head into the nearest surface as she put up with nothing but moodiness from Fred since she walked into the shop the day after her date with Lee. To top it off, the potion that she had agreed to make for some idea the twins had had her sequestered in a room in the basement of the Hogsmeade shop that was no more than a closet because the potion called for darkness during certain parts of the brewing but it was the only way to get away from Fred after a bouquet of roses arrived from Lee, who had shown up to take her to lunch on the day that she normally had lunch with Fred. By closing time, she had a few minutes before the potion was finished. She was hot, sweaty, and feeling completely drained of energy. She would have to get Maddie to the gymnastic class that was one of the things that Cece kept to keep something familiar from their lives before moving to England.

It was days like today that made her miss her old apartment that was only a short drive to Julie's. It seemed that it took being in a different hemisphere for her to realize how much she leaned on her sister for help. It was great that she had those she did in England but they, no matter what they said, weren't family and she couldn't expect them to be there like she did with Julie and the rest of her family. Feeling rather morose, Cece finished the potion and bottled it. She headed up the steps and came out the door to find Natalie looking like she was about to come unglued as she glared at Fred.

"This is ridiculous and I refuse to put up with you when you're like this." She announced waving her hands in his general direction. "Let me know when you are ready to go somewhere with me and pay attention to _me_." She pouted as if waiting for him to claim that she was wrong about whatever she was talking about. When Fred didn't reply, Natalie stalked away and the back door of the shop closed with a slam.

He tured back into the showroom and Cece darted into his and George's workroom and put down the freshly brewed potion. She pulled her wand from her pocket and after shaking her hair out of the ponytail it had been in anchored her hair on the top of her head in a messy bun with the wand. Yawning, she pulled off first her magenta robe and then the long-sleeved dark blue tunic she had worn. She thanked whatever deity that made her decide to wear a tank top underneath it. She fanned herself with a stack of mail orders and tried to figure out what the argument she had overheard meant to her.

"You're still here?"

She looked up unsure of the tone in which the question was asked if Fred was irritated with her or just surprised to find her there. "Yeah, I just finished up." She motioned to the potion on the table.

"I forgot you were working on that. Where are your flowers?"

"I took them home at lunch." She let out another yawn.

Fred for the first time noticed how tired Cece looked. "Late night?"

She looked at him in confusion but shook her head. "Not really. The usual I'd say." At a look, she explained. "Went home, helped Maddie with her homework, made dinner, and after she went to bed worked on one of the rooms that I haven't gotten to."

"And this is what you normally do? Every night?"

"Well, no. For instance, tonight Maddie has gymnastics and once a week she has piano. And I'm in the middle of planning a garden to plant in the spring."

"And you work for us whenever we need you. And watch the kids for my family and I'd suppose Sirius and Remus as well since your girls are usual together. On top of that there's Lee."

"I've only been out with him twice and once was on my lunch break." Cece wasn't certain why she seemed to be justifying her supposed relationship with Lee. She went back to fanning herself. "I just need a moment and then I'll leave to pick Maddie up at Sirius's."

"She spends a lot of time there." Cece grimace slightly and he continued. "I mean that you must really trust the Blacks."

She smiled. "With my life and that's pretty well what Maddie is. You know it's funny, but I didn't really like Sirius when we first met."

"Really?" Fred asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I thought he was an ass and the rudest male I'd ever come across."

"No way." He couldn't understand how that could be because ever since Sirius got together with Peony, the man was completely different from the way he had been when Fred first met him at Grimmauld Place.

Cece laughed. "He just rubbed me wrong. I'm sure that it had a lot to do with being so out of place and having to figure out how to get back to Maddie. I had the worse nightmares."

Fred stared at her. It couldn't be possible but at the same time it made sense of how she knew everyone she knew when she had been in the US since she left Hogwarts but how and more importantly why hadn't she told him? There was a chance that he could be wrong but if he wasn't... He shook his head. He had looked for Iliana for all this time. Could finding her really be as simple as looking at what was right before him?

"Look at the time," she shook her head. "I better get going if Maddie's going to make it on time." She picked up her purse and clothing.

"Illy?"

Cece froze in putting back on her robe. "Freddy? I can explain."

"Can you?" He didn't know if he wanted to shake her or kiss her. "You've been here all this time and you didn't tell me."

She bit her lip. "I didn't think it mattered."

"Sirius knows?"

"He knew when I was there."

"Who else?"

"While I was there only Dumbledore, Severus, Sirius, and Remus knew." Cece took a deep breath. "It happened this summer. I fell asleep one night and woke up in Gryffindor tower. I didn't even remember going to Hogwarts. After leaving the school, I had blanked out my years at Hogwarts and was living as a muggle. Dumbledore thought it was better that only he and Severus knew and then Severus suggested that Sirius and Remus should be told."

"So only Sirius and Remus know?"

She shook her head. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione thought I had been a Death Eater so they were told. I suppose they told Ginny because she knows."

"That's it?"

"Peony, Tonks, and Bill were told because they worried about me when I disappeared."

"So they all know?" He felt like kicking himself. He had never thought about asking any of the people she named, which he should have. Then again only George knew that he had been searching for her all these years. "That's it?" He laughed. "I thought that everyone knew, except me." Cece closed her eyes and he tensed, waiting for the reason she had turned so pale.

"George knows."

"George knows." He repeated in disbelief. "My own bloody twin has known that I spent years looking for _you _and he didn't tell me."

She put her hand on his arm. "It wasn't like that, Freddy."

He pulled away from her. "It wasn't? Then tell me, Illy. What was it like?"

"He got it out of Ron. George said he could understand me knowing Ginny and the others but not Sirius and Remus and Tonks. I had told him that it was because we all had children the same age but I suppose that he realised that it wasn't right that I had only been in England for a short time and Maddie wasn't with me. He told me that I should tell you and I was going to." He stared at her in disbelief. "I swear I was, but you were with Natalie and we were just friends and it didn't seem important."

"It didn't seem important?" He snarled. "I spent years looking for you."

"You spent years using me as an excuse not to become involved with another girl. Look at you and Natalie. How long have you been with her? I show up and you have an excuse not to be serious with her or anyone else. We were in school together and I bet you never noticed a single thing about me and the reason is clear. There was Iliana Prince who no one could ever live up to because you barely knew her and you could make her into whoever and whatever you wanted. Now, she's right before you, I'm right before you and you have to admit to who and what I am. You're not upset because I didn't tell you but that you have to let go of the female ideal you have had on a pedestal for years." She turned to leave.

"Illy," Fred reached out to stop her from leaving.

She pulled away and straightened. "My name is Ceciliana Cresswell and I prefer to be called Cece. Good night, Mr. Weasley. I'll see you in the morning." She walked away from him, apparating at the door.

He locked up and made his way to George and Katie's.

Arriving at Grimmauld Place, Cece pulled out the cellphone she kept for calling her family, she dialed the number for the gym where Maddie had her classes and made an excuse for Maddie not going that evening. She knocked at the door and waited for an answer.

Sirius swung open the door. "Iliana, you know there's no reason to knock. You can just come on in." He frowned as the usually bubbly brunette let out a sigh and entered the house.

"Mum,Mum, we're going to be late!" Maddie announced. She had taken to calling Cece mum not long after they came to England.

"No class tonight, is that okay?"

"Are we going home?" She looked hopefully towards the room, she had just came from.

"We'll stay for a little while. I'll let you know when we're leaving."

"You're staying for dinner. I'll let Peony know."

"You'll let me know what?"

"We have guests for dinner."

"Who?"

Cece and Maddie." Sirius smiled at his wife before kissing her lightly. "We'll be in the library."

"Let me know if you need anything."

He steered the brunette into the library and sat her in a chair. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Why would anything be wrong?"

"True, you have been pushing yourself in getting Snape's house into order and working at the twins' shop and trying to make the move as smooth as possible for Maddie and refusing the help that we keep offering you."

"Sirius, you know that I can't expect you guys to do things for me."

"But you could at least take the help we offer. I happen to know that you have the girls more than the rest of us."

"I like having the girls at the house. It's so quiet otherwise."

"You like having the girls because you can stay in that house like a turtle in its shell and not deal with Fred." She opened her mouth and snapped it shut as Sirius raised a brow. "Admit it, Iliana. Don't you think that we've notice how you haven't done anything when it comes to this thing with Fred. Have you even told him that you were Iliana Prince and that you were there because you needed to save his life."

"What? How did you know that?"

"You left that book in your room and you put that charm on me that saved my life, it wasn't too hard to put it together."He shrugged. "Of course, I couldn't help but notice how the two of you always seemed to gravitate towards one another when you were in the same room. In fact, until Peony showed up and stole my heart I was a bit jealous of what there was between you."

"There was nothing between us but a few kisses and some chemistry."

"And now?"

"I love him, Sirius, but that's not enough."

"Are you sure about that?"

She stared at him in confusion unsure of how to answer. Had she really been burying her head in the sand instead of confronting what was going on in her own life? Julie had accused her time and again of using Maddie to keep from living her life. Although Cece had never thought about it, she supposed it had a ring of truth and, perhaps, it was time for her to take the advice that Severus left her.

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	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here's another chapter to any and all of my readers and hopefully this will mean more reviews. A special thanks goes to geegee20 for the review! So, happy reading and hopefully reviewing! Oh, I'm thinking of upping the rating of this story to M, if anyone reading this would rather I keep it where it is please let me know because I have an idea for that as well. ~ Vivi_

Chapter Seventeen

"Lee, I swear...," Cece glared towards him from where she was on a ladder in the middle of stenciling flowers on the wall in what would soon be Maddie's room as soon as Cece was done decorating it. At the moment, her daughter was using a bedroom next to the one Cece was using until she was done with the master bedroom. The room was quite lovely or, at least, the walls and wood floor looked good together. The walls were a pale shade of green and she was using a darker green and a lilac color for the flowers that trailed across the walls along the ceiling until vining down one wall. She had found fabric in the same purple color for the window seat and a pretty quilt to put on the bed. At the moment, the room only contained the tarps that kept the paint off the elegant wood floors that dominated the house.

Lee grinned at her and tossed the rag that he had just smacked her with, back onto the ladder. He tilted his head and studied the flowers. "You do good work. I just might hire you if I was to need some painting done."

Cece shook her head but her lips tilted upward. In the short period of time that she had known Lee, she had come to view him as a pretty good friend. When he arrived earlier, he had spoke incessantly about some girl he had recently met at a quidditch game and had a date with later in the week. Cece was happy for him and relieved that he hadn't mentioned Fred once since he had entered the house.

"So, I heard that you told Fred off the other day but no one will say about what." He looked at her expectantly.

"It's none of your business." Her smile softened the words as she wiped her hands on the rag and jumped down from the ladder. "But I can tell you that I have decided to take some advice and stop being quiescent in my life and the relationship that I have with Fred."

"I'm not sure exactly what that means but I suppose it sounds hopeful."

"It means that I'm going to flirt and pursue instead of waiting to be pursued."

"This sounds intriguing, may I watch?"

"No, you may not. It's going to be scary enough without an audience."

"I'm not sure that I even want to know what I just walked into." George announced. He like most of the group that Cece was friends with no longer bothered to either knock or for the most part come through the front door.

"Ce is going to hunt down Fred and let him know exactly where she stands. And he stands for that matter."

"Sounds exciting."

"That's not exactly how I put it." As if on cue, Cece flushed to her roots. "I told Lee that I was going to take a proactive role in my life for once."

"Does that or does that not include Fred in some way?" George questioned.

"It does or, at least, I hope that it will."

_Meanwhile, at the Burrow..._

Fred helped his father stuff a few of the new muggle items into the shed that had always held most of the collection from over the years. Molly had put her foot down and said that there was enough in the house, so Arthur was moving it into the shed. Both of his parents had taken notice of their son's uncharacteristic silence and couldn't help but wonder what was causing it. Later, if he hadn't told them, they would come up with possibilities until he or another of their children let it out. That was the thing with having seven children. There were no real secrets.

It wasn't until they were at the shed that Fred finally spoke. "Dad, did you always know that mum was the one?" He hadn't known how else to phrase it. George had been little help with the problems that Fred was facing with Cece, not that he was going to tell his father anything more than that he was interested in her.

"Did I?" Arthur paused before speaking to his son. "In a way, I suppose I did or more correctly she let me know how things went." He grinned. "That's the Prewitts for you." Fred looked questioningly at this. "Your mum said that she knew the moment she first saw me, while we waited in line to be sorted. I suppose Ginny took after her. You remember how she was about Harry. Bill was a bit more cautious and I don't know much about Percy with Penny, but Ron fell into suit with Hermione."

Fred nodded as he thought it over. He could see it with George and Katie, too, but not as noticeable as their younger siblings had been. If that was true than it should be the little Hufflepuff that he couldn't get out of his head not Cece. The Hufflepuff had caught his attention during his OWLs by doing nothing more than reading and dipping her toes in the lake. She had had a cat by her side and her hair in a single braid down her back. She had laughed at the book or, at least, something she had read in the book and the sound drew his attention like nothing else ever had. After that he had spent more time than he'd like to admit hoping to catch glimpses of her. In the next two years, her hairstyle had changed and so had the book but not the way he noticed the moment she entered the space he was in. Even after meeting Iliana, the girl drew his attention but he supposed he had pushed the feelings aside to pursue the older female. Maybe, he should find out about what happened to the Hufflepuff.

"Well, I think that helped a lot. I'll see you and mum for dinner tomorrow."

Arthur watched his son stride off until he apparated away. He'd speak to Molly but he knew they would both hope this had nothing to do with the girl that their son had been seeing. They had hoped that the lack of mention of Natalie had meant the girl was gone but now Arthur had to wonder if they had been wrong.

_Days later..._

Cece nervously tugged at her robe and sent George a questioning look from where she stood near Fred. Fred, who had yet to even acknowledge her presence or her hair that she had let fall to below her shoulders in a tangle of natural waves. She tossed the mail order she had left to sort out and took off her robe to reveal the short black-and-white plaid skirt and her purple button down top. Her eyes snapped and she wished that Lee had a cellphone. It would be easier if she could text him to show up.

Fred was jabbering away about something. He finally stopped with a question and George looked thoughtful. "Oi, Cece, how well do you remember Hogwarts?"

She frowned at him, not noticing that for the first time Fred had taken a good look at her. "Well enough, I suppose." She shrugged as she sat back down on a chair by the desk that the twins had put in a corner of the room for her.

George watched her as she crossed her legs at the ankle causing Fred's eyes to follow the movement. His brother's eyes travelled from the edge of her skirt, down her legs covered in sheer purple stockings to the black shoes that gave Cece a good four inch boost in height and buckled around her ankles in delicate straps. Fred visibly swallowed.

"What's this all about?" She asked when there was nothing but silence.

"Fred's interested in hunting down someone who might have been in your year or a year above."

"Good luck with that." Her lips that Fred now noticed had been layered with some sort of gloss that made her lips all shiny and made him wonder if they tasted as good as they looked which he knew already they would even without the shiny stuff. "I mean even if you take away the Slytherins thats about thirty students for each gender."

Fred blinked and George came to his rescue. "We know what house?"

"That's a bit easier. Then technically it's ten either way. That's a bit more manageable."

George, knowing full well who Fred was looking for, grinned at Cece. "What house were you in again?"

"Hufflepuff, prefect and chaser." She returned with a grin. "Got better grades than most the Ravenclaws in the year but then I always had my nose in a book."

Fred waited for Cece, who was killing him in that outfit, turned back to the forms. He propelled George out of the room on some pretext. "Cece's _my_ Hufflepuff? Is this just another thing you didn't think to tell me?"

"I only know because Lee pointed it out when Katie sent him here."

"Katie _sent_ him? Why would she do that? I thought she wanted Cece and me to get together?"

"She thought that you were settling with Natalie." George shrugged. "You did tell us that she made you happy."

"No, I said things were fine between us."

"Then it shouldn't matter that Katie suggested that Lee meet Cece. After all, they are our friends."

"But she's..." Fred made a gesture back towards the room and even though George knew exactly what his twin was trying to say, he stayed silent as if confused. He knew this was something that Fred would have to work through on his own. "She's... George, she's not just my friend. I'm in love with her or at least I think I am."

"Well, when you figure out if you are or not, maybe you should let her know." He barely held onto a laugh at the look of pure horror on his brother's face.

"She's already told me what she thought of that idea." Fred said looking even more crestfallen.

"You've got yourself into quite a mess this time."

He nodded. "I certainly have. Good thing I'm use to cleaning up my messes."

George nodded in agreement.

Cece's temper was simmering just barely under the surface when she finished with the very last of the mail orders. As usual when she was angry, she found tasks like organising, cooking, working on potions, or cleaning, if not soothing at least enough to keep her mind of why she was irritated. Now, that she had nothing but time to twiddle her thumbs and let herself stew. She wasn't even certain why she was so... well, for lack of a better word, pissed.

It could be that Fred hadn't seemed to notice her hair and outfit and make-up that she had spent hours agonising over this morning. Or it could be that after he and George had acted so oddly before they had left the workroom and neither of them had returned leaving a project, which was highly unusual. She had no idea who Fred seemed so interested in finding but she was certain it would probably be a female and more than likely another gorgeous one that she had no chance in competing against. She had a feeling that her plan or at least the loosely termed ideas of what she should do or possibly could manage to see herself doing was absolutely worthless and Fred wouldn't notice her if she locked him in the workroom with her and threw herself at him... naked. Not that she could ever imagine having the guts to do something like that. She was and had never been that comfortable in overly revealing clothing, let alone in her own skin. She was she could admit a Hufflepuff for a reason because she had never been one to like confrontations.

Cece ran her hand through her hair as she stood up and for lack of any other way of expressing her mood, stamped her foot forgetting the delicately thin heel that she wore. After the movement, three actions followed in quick secession. Her heel snapped, her balance left her causing her rear and then her head to hit the workroom's floor, and she let out the rather loud yelp in both surprise and agony as pain darted upwards from her tailbone and radiated in her head. Closing her eyes, she let out a string of words that would astound just about anyone who knew the brunette and did surprise the four males who had come running at Cece's shout. George, Lee, and Eric watched with little surprise as Fred shot across the room to where Cece sat, her hand to her head.

Eric shook his head at the pair. "About time." He muttered before turning away and heading back out into the showroom.

George and Lee also turned away, feeling that, just maybe, this time things would finally fall together. George looked after his employee who was dealing with a customer. "Do you think they were that obvious?"

Lee grinned. "To everyone but each other." His eyes locked on the front door. "Bloody hell, this can't be good."

George looked up and spotted Natalie making her way towards where he and Lee stood and behind them the back of the shop. "Oi, Nat!"

Her eyes narrowed. "I've told you time and again that I really don't care for that nickname."

"That's nice." He replied. "Fred just left."

"What?" Her eyes now snapped with more than a hint of irritation. "We were supposed to meet for lunch." Her voice held a slight whine and George wondered how his brother put up with it. "Tell him, I meant what I told him and he needs to get his act together."

"I agree completely."

She beamed at him, feeling for the first time as there might be some hope of her winning over Fred's family. "Well, just let him know I was disappointed but I'm free for him to make it up to me tomorrow night."

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	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here's another chapter to any and all of my readers and hopefully this will mean more reviews. For anyone wondering this story is going to keep its rating with a little M rated supplement that I wrote for my own amusement that will be put up on its own. While geegee20 is the only one who keeps reviewing and I'm utterly thankful for that because it makes me keep updating, I have noticed that this story has become a favourite to a few more people. I hope the rest of the story lives up to expectations and that I can get maybe a few more reviews. ~ Vivi_

Chapter Eighteen

_In the workroom..._

Fred knelt next to the brunette and pulled her hand away from where she seemed to be feeling her head. "Did you hit your head?"

"Umm, yeah." Cece replied flushing. She was quite certain she had never felt so embarrassed in her life, even that time as a third year when she tripped down half the stairs into the dungeons with all of her housemates in her year and the Ravenclaws watching her, just in time for Severus and his seventh year NEWT level students to come out of the classroom. "I broke my heel and lost my balance. I'm such a klutz."

"I've noticed that." Teased Fred as he busied himself with feeling the back of her head. "Yep, you've got quite a bump here, but I think it'll be okay." He absentmindedly kissed the top of her head before helping her to her feet. He caught her eye and winked at her. "No blood, no broken bones. Want me to fix your shoe?" He watched her cheeks redden further.

"No, I've got it." Fred watched her pick up the wand that lay on the desk next to the neatly stacked mail orders and quickly mend her shoe. Cece tested her weight on the heel and gave him an embarrassed smile that he thought was quite endearing. "Now that I've made a complete fool of myself..."

"C'mon, Ce, its a joke shop. If you can't be a fool here, where can you?" Just as Fred hoped she let out one of those entirely too sexy husky laughs of hers. He eyed her shoes. "Did you catch your heel on the chair or something?" He glanced up to find that Cece's face was turning about the same colour as his hair. "Cece?"

"I broke my heel..."

"I think we've cleared that."

She seemed to find the floor very interesting, "when I stamped my foot because I was..." Fred couldn't hold back a snicker because while he could imagine Cece doing this it wasn't something he'd ever expect of her. "I was mad."

Laughter lined his voice. "Mad angry or mad crazy?" He joked.

Her eyes stayed on the floor. "Perhaps, a little bit of both, but more angry than crazy."

His voice this time shook with suppressed amusement. "And what has got you so worked up, Ce?"

"You."

All amusement left Fred. "Me?" He was too paralysed with fear of what this could mean to even worry about how the word came out a bit squeaky.

Cece took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There went her usual way of dealing with things by avoiding confrontation because she was certain that there was no way that she was going to be allowed to walk away from this one. She slowly raised her head and met his brown eyes. She stared into them and wished she could read the emotions swirling in their depths. She bit her lip.

"Cece, you can't just say something like that and..."

She placed her finger to his lips stilling them. "I know. Just give me a minute. This is really hard for me."

Fred stared blankly at her as she once more bowed her head. _Hard for her?_ He felt like his entire sense of wellbeing was wrapped up in whatever it was that she would say next. "Cece, please."

Her head popped back up at the unmistakable sound of pain lacing his words. "I was mad, angry, because, well, you've been driving me absolutely crazy. I don't understand you, Freddy." Her green eyes sparkled with what he was frightened to see were unshed tears. "I thought I did, but now I just.. I just don't know." She closed her eyes in hopes of holding in the tears that she felt were downright silly. She hated that she never seemed to be able to express extreme emotions any other way. Of course, it wasn't just anger that made her cry, because right now, she wasn't really angry. She wasn't sure that she really had been. It seemed her little temper tantrum had to do with her feeling scared out of her wits on how Fred was going to react and now she couldn't even find the courage to look at him.

"Ce, Merlin, Ce, don't cry." Fred pulled her firmly into his arms. "I can't bare to see you crying, especially when I have the feeling that its over me." He kissed the few tears that had escaped her through her closed lashes, catching the last one as it reached the corner of her lips. Being so close, he couldn't resist pressing a light kiss fully on her lips. Her hands reached up and grasped his face pulling his lips back to hers. He finally found the strength to pull away from her and met her questioning green eyes as he set her away from him. "This is going to sound very wrong, but I need you to trust me, Ce."

If anything, she was filled with even more questions. "Of course, I trust you, Freddy." She replied huskily and for a moment it looked like he was going to pull her back into his embrace. She bit her lip and gave him a look that made him think that she was going to say something else but he stopped her.

"Listen, I have to leave you." Her eyes widened and he froze before pulling her into his arms. "Just for a little while. I'm not sure how long this is going to take, so do you think that there's a chance that we can meet at your house tonight? Just to talk." He promised, wanting to make sure that he rushed her into nothing. She gave a nod, but confusion still filled her eyes. "Good." He gave her another long, lingering kiss before apparating from the spot.

There was a knock at the door that Cece hadn't even noticed had been closed and George popped his head in. He frowned slightly at seeing Cece standing alone in the middle of the room with the fingers of one hand pressed to her lips. "Where's Fred?"

She turned and met his eyes. "I don't know." Her voice sounded strange to her ears, slightly hollow. She was too scared to even think of what Fred wanted to talk to her about. "He said he had to go somewhere and left."

George entered the room and shut the door behind him. "That was it?"

"Not exactly." She looked extremely embarrassed.

"Whatcha do, Cece?" He grinned at the brunette. "Announced that you were in love with him and he fled?" He knew full well how Fred would have reacted and he was almost certain that he would not have left her standing in obvious confusion in the middle of the workroom.

"Not exactly?" She met his eyes. "He was teasing me and asking me about why I mad enough to stomp my foot and I told him... I told him..."

George was startled to see all the colour fade from her face. "Cece, what did you say to Fred?"

She practically fell onto a nearby stool and grimaced. "I told Fred that he was driving me crazy and it made me mad because I couldn't understand him when I thought I did and that's why I stamped my foot and broke my heel like an idiot."

He simply stared at her in surprise. He felt that he had gotten to know Cece rather well and it took a lot of courage to announce her feelings to Fred like that.

"George, stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" He questioned.

"Like I just suggested that," she shrugged as she tried to come up with a good analogy, "I don't know that, I'm not in love with Fred, it's been you all along."

He let out a burst of laughter and then became far more serious than Cece had ever seen him as he searched her face. He hadn't looked this serious even when urging her to tell Fred her secret. "And after this Fred just left?"

"Not exactly," she sighed.

George pulled his hand through his hair and gave Cece a look like he wanted to shake her. "Why is that almost every conversation that we have about my twin makes me feel like I have to pry every bit of information out of you."

She shrugged. "We," she flushed, "we kissed and then he asked me to trust him and said he had to leave and do something and he wasn't sure how long it would take, so he asked if he could come over tonight and talk." She bit her lip.

"To talk?" George questioned.

"Yes, he was very clear that that was why he wanted to see me tonight."

"Do you want to leave work early?" He asked after a moment. "I mean, I would understand completely."

"Oh, no!" Cece shook her head firmly. "At least here I won't have time to freak out completely about what he has to say."

"I'm sure that its..."

"Oh, no, I want to hear it from him, George, not what you think he is going to say. I understand how close the two of you are, well, maybe not," she shot him a grin and he thought of how Fred had chosen perfectly this time, "but I need it to come from him."

"Okay, how about giving the shelves a once over. I know how much you love organising." George said turning away.

"Sure thing, Mr. Weasley."

He turned back to meet her sparkling green eyes. "I almost miss you not teasing me."

"Almost?"

"Almost." He grinned.

_Muggle London..._

Fred leaned against the wall and looked around at the people in the elevator. Natalie's apartment was in one of few buildings that served both muggles and magical people alike and therefore, all witches and wizards in the building apparated nearby and entered and exited the building like their muggle counterparts. Since most of the magical occupants were young, they even dressed more like muggles than wizards when in and about the building. He had been surprised that she wasn't anywhere he knew to look for her, especially when he knew they were supposed to have lunch. It wasn't like her to miss an opportunity to try to goad him into a commitment, complete with large diamond ring. The idea of giving someone a ring and tying himself to them for the rest of his life had scared him silly not so long ago but as he waited for the elevator to reach to right floor, he could almost see himself on bended knee looking into a pair of warm green eyes. He grinned widely causing a girl on the elevator to smile back at him but when she made as if to speak, the doors opened onto Natalie's floor.

"Have a lovely day." He winked at her causing her to flush, before heading to Natalie's door. He took out the key ring that held the keys to both shops as well as a few others for different places and paused long enough to remove the key that Natalie had given to him but he had never thought to bother with using. He stopped at her door and gave it a sound knocking. Fred waited bouncing on the balls of his feet and when there was no answer, inserted the key. He figured that Natalie, who had always liked her privacy, would appreciate him not simply waiting in the hall to give her back her key and tell her that it was over.

Fred closed the door behind him and looked about the small entryway/ hall that led into the rest of the apartment. He had always felt overwhelmed by the pastels and golden framed paintings that always looked hazy, like he needed glasses to see them properly. He made his way to the parlour just off the hallway. He entered the room and blinked. It was suddenly obvious why there had been nobody in the office where Natalie worked.

The reason would be that Natalie and her boss were here at her apartment. While Fred was never one to jump to conclusions, he would suppose this was not a first encounter between the two. He cleared his throat. The man who Fred knew was married having seen not only the ring on his left hand and the photos on his desk, but also the rather pretty wife, began muttering excuses while fixing his clothing.

"You might want to zip up before leaving." Fred suggested. The man flushed and apparated out of the appartment. "Well, Nat, you've been busy. How long has this been going on? I'm just slightly interested, being that you seemed to want a commitment from me." He leaned against the doorjamb.

"Fred, I can explain. This has never happened before, I swear. It was just that you've been so inattentative and I thought I was loosing you and..."

"It would look like you were right, even if I don't believe that this was the first time the two of you got cosy." He shook his head and held out the key. "You know, Nat, you've made this quite a bit easier for me."

Her eyes widened. "You can't mean this. There is no one that you could ever find that is better than me."

"Actually, there is someone else that I've been fighting my feelings for, just because I really did think that you were worth it, but you're wrong about her being better than you because I think she's downright perfect."

"You'll regret this, Fred."

"The only thing I regret, Nat, is taking so long before doing this. I think we've wasted enough time." He shook his head at the fuming witch. "Goodbye, Natalie. I hope you find someone who makes you as happy as I know Ce will make me."

Natalie's eyes narrowed as she watched Fred walked out of the room and heard the door shut. _That damned brunette_, she should have known. Natalie smirked, _so Fred thinks she makes him happy? Well, we can't have that._

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	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here's another chapter to any and all of my readers and hopefully this will mean more reviews. Anyone who read my other stories might have noticed that I took down my other Fred/oc story. This is because I wasn't happy about where it was going, but the idea for it has been in my head for a bit now and I'll probably be rewritting it sooner or later. This story has a few more chapters and the M rated addition that I mentioned will be posted on its own after the chapter it would have been part of is posted. ~ Vivi_

Chapter Nineteen

Two hours after unknowingly leaving Natalie to her plotting, Fred stood once more before a door bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for a door to be answered. This time instead of an unpleasant surprise, the door was opened by Cece still in the outfit she had been wearing at the shop. He grinned when he looked down to see that she wasn't wearing shoes. Then he noticed that she had what appeared to be muggle money in her hand.

"Oh, Fred," she grinned and moved back from the door. "I thought you were the pizza."

He grinned. "I haven't been called that before."

She laughed and shook her head at him. "I ordered a pizza for dinner." She explained. "I didn't feel like cooking." Cece eyed him. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you are waiting for the right opportunity to pounce on me."

"That does sound like a good idea." He said after looking around to make sure that Maddie wasn't nearby. When he didn't see the little girl, he wrapped an arm around Cece's waist and pulled her close. After a minute, he moved his lips away from hers and she made an impatient sound, before he began to kiss down her neck.

At a knock at the door, Cece pulled out of Fred's arms and after pressing her lips lightly to his once more, she opened the door. He listened to her chat with the delivery boy, who he found out was a neighbour, who had a dog that Maddie was enamoured with. She closed the door with the pizza box in hand.

"Let's eat." He grinned at her. She looked at him almost suspiciously. "I told you that we needed to talk."

She tilted her head with her lips curving. "If we were seeing each other I might be a little worried. Well, maybe not with your way of greeting me."

He snickered and took the box from her and headed into the kitchen where he knew she and Maddie preferred to eat. He was surprised when Cece didn't call Maddie down to dinner. "Where's Maddie?"

"Staying the night with Jamie." She answered as she got out some napkins.

He raised a brown. "On a school night?"

She shrugged. "You seemed rather serious about whatever it was you wanted..." Cece didn't get further than that because Fred's mouth was once more on hers. This time, when he began to kiss her neck and not heed her impatient sound, she pulled his mouth back to hers. Fred backed up, pulling Cece with him until the back of his legs hit one of the kitchen chairs and he sat down pulling her into his lap. She was straddling Fred with her hands caressing him under his shirt, while he had gotten part of the buttons of her top undone and was paying homage to her cleavage, so it was understandable that neither of them heard the popping sound of someone apparating into the house.

Fred heard the noise of a throat clearing and pulled Cece protectively to him. He glared over her shoulder at the source of the interruption. He gave his younger brother a dark look.

"Well, this is an unexpected sight." Ron grinned as Cece pulled together her shirt and made to climb off Fred. His grin widened if possible, when his brother slipped his arm under one of her legs and pulled it around so she was sitting sideways in his lap. There was a moment when it looked like Cece was going to make a run for it but Fred seemed to pull the brunette closer to his chest. "Where's Maddie?"

"At Sirius and Peony's." Fred replied, still giving Ron a dark look. "What do you want, Ron?"

"Hermoine asked me to stop by and make sure that Cece and Maddie were still coming to the house for lunch on Saturday. The whole family is getting together and Mum's been wanting to meet Maddie's mum. The Blacks and Lupins are coming, too."

"I said I would." Cece rolled her eyes. "Is that it?"

"Nope." Ron ignored the deathly looks both of them were giving him. He sat down at the table. "I have a question and as soon as you answer it, I'll be out of your hair."

"Ask your bloody question." Fred snarled.

"Fred, what are your intentions with Cece?"

"Ron!" Her eyes widened. "That's none of your business."

"I think it is, Cece. You have no family around you right now and Fred, here, looks like he's taking a bit advantage of you with him having a girlfriend and all."

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"True, I wouldn't normally use that word in describing Natalie, but..."

"I broke it off with Natalie." Fred growled lowly. "Do you really think that I would be the type of person to start a relationship with someone as amazing as Cece while being in another one?" He looked about ready to come out of his seat and Ron was glad that Fred couldn't really move without letting go of Cece.

"Well, I believe that clears things up. I'll see the two of you on Saturday." He apparated out of Cece's kitchen. Ron was whistling as he entered his own kitchen where his beautiful wife was sitting with his sister. He kissed Hermione's cheek. "Sorry, that I didn't make it home for dinner."

"I'll warm you up a plate." She smiled at him. "What has you so happy? Did you stop by Cece's? I think your mum will really like her." Hermione said as she put a plate down in front of her husband.

Ron said something that no one could understand because his mouth was full of food.

Hermione sighed. "Ron, swallow your food and then tell us."

He took a drink before speaking again. His smile was quite large. "Fred broke up with Natalie." He looked around to find both of the women smiling back at him.

"Really?" Ginny grinned before questioning him further. "Are you really certain, Ron? How do you know for certain?"

"I went to Cece's like 'mione asked me to after work and found her and Fred going at it in the kitchen."

"What?" Both females looked stunned.

"Seems like it was planned because Maddie is at Sirius's and Fred looked ready to come unglued when I mentioned that it wasn't right that he was with Cece when he had a girlfriend."

"Ronald!"

"Bloody hell, 'moine, let me finish." She gave him a dark look. "You'll forgive me when you hear what Fred had to say." He picked up her hand and gave her a grin. "He said that he broke it off with Natalie and announced that he and Cece were starting a relationship." His sister let out a squeal and Hermione beamed at him.

Harry came in the room after hearing his wife. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." Ginny grinned. "Fred and Cece!"

"What about them?"

"They're finally together.

_At Cece's..._

She eyed him for a moment. "Fred?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "I suppose I should have asked if you wanted to start a relationship with me before giving Ron the idea that you were all for the idea." Fred reached out and traced her jawline. "Ce..." He paused unsure what to say when she leaned forwards and kissed him lightly.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Absolutely." He grinned. "That's why I left you today. I know this sounds horrible but I knew I should have broken it off with Natalie way before now, but I was scared."

Cece looked at him in confusion. "Scared? What did you possibly have to be scared of?"

"That you wouldn't take me seriously. That if I told you that I want to be a part of your and Maddie's lives that you'd laugh."

"I'd never laugh at you, Fred." He gave her a pointed look. "Oh, you know what I mean."

"I hope so." He said pulling her closer. "So, do you want to eat that pizza or..." He grinned lasciviously. He didn't wait for an answer before pulling her close once again.

_The next day..._

"Isn't today your day off?" Cece asked Fred as he followed her up the stairs into the flat, where she would be working on a couple potions. The pair had spent the night in a mix of snogging and talking. While Cece wouldn't have minded more, Fred seemed to think that they needed to take things a bit slow.

"It's my shop. I can come in any time I want." He announced as he flopped onto the couch. He grinned at her. "Why aren't you wearing one of those wonderfully short skirts and sexy shoes of yours?" He asked as he eyed her jeans and t-shirt that could be seen with now that she had taken off her robe and put it on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Oh, didn't you know, Freddy?" She asked as she set out the ingredients she needed. "I was only wearing those to get your attention and now that I've got it..." She trailed off as she started cutting up a root. Actually, she normally dressed like this for potion making on Tuesdays but he wouldn't know that because it was his day off.

Fred took her inattention as an opportunity to move up behind her. He waited until she sat the knife down and pulled her back towards him and started kissing along the back of her neck. "Oh, just keeping working." He whispered against her neck as his fingers found the bottom of her t-shirt and began skimming over her stomach. "By the way, the t-shirt and ponytail work just as well as the short skirts." He pulled her a little more tightly into him. His name came out in a husky moan and he turned her in his arms so he could really kiss her. Fred moved them away from the cauldron and ingredients. He picked her up and positioned her on a clear spot on the table so he could station himself between her legs.

"Freddy," Cece put her hands on his shoulders, knowing that she really needed to get to work and this wasn't what she should be doing, no matter how much she wanted to. His lips trailed down her throat and back to her lips for a moment. He made a noise as he found her bra did not snap in the back. "Freddy!" She pushed a bit more forcefully.

He looked up at her and kissed her nose. "Cece!" He mimicked her tone. "Don't worry about getting in trouble with the boss." He winked at her. "I know for a fact that he would be more than understanding." He took the moment to nip her bottom lip.

"Fred, we can't do this," he started, "here. We can't do this sort of thing at work."

He helped her down from the table. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you. A rule abiding Hufflepuff prefect who did extremely well with her OWLs and NEWTs, that's who I choose to start a relationship?" He shook his head as he threw himself back onto the couch.

"A trouble-making Gryffindor, who didn't even bother to finish his schooling? I think I got the raw end of the deal here." Cece quipped as she started on one of the potions.

"But I'm a handsome trouble-making Gryffindor, who didn't finish school but did open an incredible joke shop that has made him very wealthy." Fred replied as he laid his head back on the arm of the sofa. "That makes you a lucky witch."

"That's not why I'm involved with you." Cece announced. She set the timer for the potion to be left boiling and moved so she was standing over Fred.

"It's not?" He eyed her.

"Well, I wouldn't care if you didn't have a knut to your name, because my family isn't all that wealthy but because I'm a witch, I am. I inherited a very large, very full vault in the depths of Gringotts, because by some fluke out of all the people in my family, I'm the one that's magical. While I really do appreciate that you're rather nice to look at."

"Rather nice?" He looked put out.

"Just listen, Freddy, that's not why I'm interested in you either. I'm interested in you because every single time I meet your eyes I feel like I could melt." He grinned at her and pulled her down onto the sofa with him. "Because I feel that you fill in what's missing in my life. So, I need you to promise me a few things, Mr. Weasley."

"What's that?" He asked surprised at how serious she said.

"I need you to promise me, Fred, that if you ever get tired of this thing between us, that you'll tell me."

"Ce," he began.

"Just promise me. I know that I'm not what Natalie is but..."

"Stop right there. You are just what I want and need. There is no comparing you and Natalie. She couldn't even stand up to you as Snape's cousin. If that doesn't say something about her, then I don't know what does." He grinned as he turned so he had her pinned down on the sofa underneath him. "I'm very close to falling completely in love with you, Ceciliana Cresswell, just you as klutzy and imperfect as you are."

"You are?" The wonder in both her voice and her eyes caused Fred to turn and pull her close to him.

"Absolutely, there's only one thing stopping me."

"What?" She asked, worriedly as she began to nibble on her lip.

Fred looked her over. "Let me think about it." He murmured as he kissed her lips lightly. "Well, that makes it certain. I love you, Cece."

Her green eyes widened and she flushed. "I love you, too, Freddy." She nestled her head into his chest. The timer beeped and Fred pulled her closer and swished his wand towards the table, turning it off and putting out the flames under the cauldron.

"Just stay here with me."

She snuggled closer. "Do you think my boss will mind?"

"I'm sure the two of you might be able to work something out." He kissed the top of her head.

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	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_Here's another chapter to any and all of my readers and hopefully this will mean more reviews. This story has a few more chapters and the M rated addition that I mentioned will be posted on its own after the chapter it would have been part of is posted. ~ Vivi_

Chapter Twenty

George stood in the doorway of the workroom of the Hogsmeade store for a moment before he realised that it was Tuesday and which Fred always took off because Natalie had that day off and Cece always spent Tuesdays upstairs working on potions. He hadn't heard from either of the pair and wanted to know how the 'talk' between the two of them went. He headed upstairs. He frowned when he saw the potion ingredients spread on the table. A chill swept through him. If anything happened to Cece, Fred would kill him. He turned towards the living area to find Cece curled up with Fred. George stared blankly at the pair before meeting his twin's eyes. Fred put a finger to his lips before putting his arm back around the sleeping brunette. George gave a quick nod and headed back down into the store. He grinned widely at Lee as his friend came in through the front door.

"Oi, George, what a surprise to see you here. Where's Cece at? I need a spot of advice."

"She's upstairs, but you'll have to do without her help."

"Tough potion?"

"She cuddling with Fred at the moment and I don't think he'd be please to see you."

"And Natalie?"

George frowned. "I don't know."

"George, he better not hurt her." Lee's eyes flashed.

"Isn't a glorious morning?" Ginny asked as she came to a stop with the boys.

"Okay, I'll bite? Why is it glorious?" George asked.

"I was over with Harry helping Hermione planning out Saturdays lunch and Ron came in from work announcing that Fred finally saw the light and broke it off with Natalie."

"Where did Ron get this information?"

"From Fred himself. Ron stopped by at Cece's and said he caught Fred snogging Cece."

"And George found the pair cuddling upstairs a few moments ago but that doesn't mean that Fred actually broke it off with the snake."

"It does because Fred told Ron that he wasn't the type to start a relationship with Cece, while already in one."

"Oi, George, I'm going to take sleepyhead home." Fred announced as he joined the group by the counter. He beamed at them all. "Ce really needs to pace herself. She thinks she has to do everything herself. I'm sure she'll be in tomorrow for her shift, but she needs a bit of sleep."

"I'm not leaving." Cece gave Fred a dark look, while stifling a yawn. "I am scheduled to work today and so, I'm going to work. I'd appreciate it if you'd allow me to work on my potions without interrupting me."

"Yes, Ce, you falling asleep on me was exactly what I was going for."

George, Ginny, and Lee looked at the pair and were surprised when Cece snorted. "I know exactly what you were going for."

Fred grinned largely at her and kissed her nose. "Love you." At this all three watchers gapped. The entire time that Fred had been with Natalie and as close as they had been to possibly becoming engaged, he had never mentioned the 'l' word, but he seemed quite comfortable with it at the moment.

"That's cheating." He raised his brow at her, causing her to flush. "And I love you, too." She pressed a light kiss to Fred's lips and headed back towards the stairs.

"I suppose if she is going to work today that I might as well stay down here and get some stuff done. George, you do the schedules, when's Cece's day off?"

"She likes to float and take different days for different reasons. This week it's Saturday." George replied eyeing his twin.

"I'll take that day off, too." Fred announced, beaming towards his two siblings and friend.

"Something you need to tell us, Fred?"

"I'm seeing Cece."

Ginny squealed and hugged Fred before leaving the group and Lee congratulated his friend on having improved dramatically in his taste before heading up to grill Cece for advice about his own relationship. George followed his twin into the workroom.

"Love?"

"I know." Fred shook his head. "It just seems so natural. And I love her, I do, George. I love that she's always tripping and that she's such a great mum. I don't want to loose her." He stared towards the wall without seeing a thing. "I told her I loved her and I wasn't worried about if I should or not, I just knew that I had to tell her. And do you know what's amazing, she loves me. I was thinking about how Natalie always tried to get me to propose to her and how that scared me, but I can see that with Cece. Not right now but later on."

"That's great, Fred." George grinned.

"What's great for Fred?" Sirius stood in the doorway.

Fred answered without acknowledging who it was that was asking. "Cece loves me!" He sat on the stool and began scribbling down on a piece of parchment. "I think I'm going to go to the flower shop there in Diagon Alley and get her some flowers, but not roses because she really doesn't like them, maybe something bright and yellow."

Sirius seemed to understand that Fred was making very little sense to anyone at the moment. "She likes wild flowers and mums, especially the big full ones."

Fred grinned towards the man. "Thanks." He continued beaming as he apparated from the spot.

"Well, that's interesting." Sirius said leaning against the doorway.

"Before you start worrying, he has known about Cece being Iliana, but oddly enough he's been slightly infatuated with her since fifth year."

"What?"

"Lee was the one to figure it out. I don't think that Fred knew that we had noticed, but every time this quiet little Hufflepuff was anywhere nearby, Fred's attention was gone from everything else. It started at the end of fifth year. He finally confessed that it was during OWLs that he noticed her reading by the lake."

Sirius smiled until he remembered Fred's dark haired witch. "What about..."

"Fred broke it off with Natalie before he started up with Cece. He really loves her."

"She loves him too. I mean I knew they were meant for each other I just hoped that Fred would see the light. I mean after she went into the past to save his life." Sirius trailed off at the look on George's face.

"She did tell him..."

"I don't know if she told him, but I sure as hell haven't heard about this."

"She's going to kill me and considering how well she passed as Snivillus's cousin, it's going to be inventive." Sirius groaned.

George looked thoughtful. "I had wondered why Cece would show up in the past like she did. I just never connected it with Fred. You mean that Fred died and that's why she went back but he would have died when Cece was in her sixth year..."

"That's magic, George. It never makes much sense. I mean by her going back she saved more than just Fred."

George looked at Sirius. "She saved you." Sirius nodded. "She cast that charm that kept you in the house."

"And she's the reason I have Peony." He smiled. "I don't know what else changed but I think she's utterly amazing for the simple fact that she didn't fall apart even with having to be away from Maddie. Cece said she woke up at home after disappearing from St. Mungos. She thought it was a dream until she found her wand and an owl entered her kitchen."

"Cece told you why she turned up back then?"

"No, she left the book Dumbledore had given her. Since I had nothing better to do I read it and it simply clicked."

"That makes sense. The last thing Cece would want is for Fred or any of the rest of us to feel like we're in her debt for what she's done." George announced.

"You know I think you're right. It would be really hard for her to accept that Fred loved her because of who she is instead of what she's done."

"I think this is something we should just keep quiet about."

"You know I think you're right." Sirius nodded. "You're not that bad, kid."

"Thanks, old man. Are you here for a reason?"

"Oh, yeah, Jamie wants to know if Maddie can stay the night on Friday. She was very excited that Peony and Cece made an exception to the weeknight sleep-overs. I want to warn Cece about that. And truthfully, I was a bit worried when Cece showed up and asked if we'd keep Maddie."

"I'm not sure if they did anything if you're asking. Ron seemed to have walked in on them before it got that far."

"That would be Ron for you."

George nodded and smiled.

"Sirius! Whatcha doing here?" Cece asked as she set down a rack of perfectly capped vials and gave the dark-haired wizard a hug.

George watched the woman his twin loved with a new appreciation. He could only figure out that whatever she did to save Fred's life had to do with Percy because she disappeared almost as soon as Percy rejoined the family. She noticed him and the way he was watching her when she finished chatting with Sirius.

"George, did I do something?"

"Listen, Cece, I want to let you know that Sirius told me about why you went back." She paled. "We both agree that there is no reason for anyone but us three to know what you did. We know that it would not only make you uncomfortable but you would always worry about why Fred was with you."

"So, that's it?"

He was relieved to see she looked like she was getting her colour back. "Yeah, mind you, I don't think you could ever suppose what it means to me and if mum ever gets her knickers in a twist, we could tell her."

She let out a laugh. "No, thank you."

"Are you ready for Saturday?"

"Actually, I'm very worried. What if your parents don't like me?"

"Are you Natalie?"

"No."

"Well, then you should do fine. Charlie's coming home for a visit that's why we're getting together at Ron and Hermione's on Saturday and the Burrow on Sunday."

"I know that everyone likes me so far but..."

"Charlie will love that you played quidditch. After Lee mentioned it I remembered you. You were a voracious little thing. Percy will be speechless because Fred's dating you and you were a prefect and are incredibly smart. Mum will love the fact that you love to cook and the scores you made on your OWLs and NEWTs and that you love kids, in her mind that means more grandchildren. Dad will love the fact that not only are you a muggle but that you lived as one and know tons about 'em." He grinned. "You already have everyone else eating out of your hand and there is the fact that you are not Natalie and remember that no matter what anyone else thinks of you Fred loves you."

"That I do." Fred announced from the doorway. "And why must Ce remember that?"

"She's nervous about meeting the rest of the family."

"They'll love you."

_Ron & Hermione's, Saturday..._

"She hates me." Cece moaned as she swept Lily up into the air causing the baby to giggle loudly.

"No, she doesn't." Ginny replied. Hermione and Katie nodded in agreement.

Of course, it didn't look all that good but then again Molly hadn't been told that Fred was in love with the brunette or that the rest of the family had already accepted her as one of their own due to all the good qualities. All that Molly knew was that the woman was a single mother who worked for her sons and was trying to wheedle her way into the family. None of the four women noticed Molly watching them and listening to their conversation.

"Oh, yes, she does, doesn't she, Lily?" She moved the little girl again causing her to giggle. "Oh, no, you don't. I've got your number, kid. You're just going for the hair." Cece paused, cradling Lily on her hip. "Is Maddie and the girls inside still?"

"I think so."

"Madeline Elizabeth, get down here right this instant,young lady. And bring Jamie, Andie, and Val with you."

Hermione looked slightly panicked. "What were they doing?"

"How did you do that?" Ginny asked at the same time.

"Easy, the four of them are only quiet when up to no good and my purse wide is open, something I would never do in a house with little ones in it. I'll bet you that those four girls will be sporting eyeshadow, lipstick, blush, and if Maddie had her way she'll have a line of eyeliner under her eyes that would do an American football player proud on gameday." No sooner had she finished than the four girls appeared covered in make-up with Maddie holding the bag.

Katie snickered before actually laughing which caused Ginny to grin as well as Hermione. The four looked hopeful until they saw Cece. Molly was actually quite impressed as the woman handed the baby to Ginny. "Maddie, you've just lost the movie that we were going to see tonight. You've been told many times to stay out of my make-up."

"Yes, Momma." The girl hung her head and then looked up looking like her mother was killing her. "But I promised Fred that I'd show him the best way to fix movie popcorn."

Ginny laughed at this, but Cece sent her a look. "You'll just have to show him some other time." Molly's eyes narrowed. Was the woman such a shoddy mother that she would even shove her child off onto Fred? She turned away from them with a shake of her head.

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	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_It's been a while but I plan on adding the last few chapters of this story and then I might start posting another story that I've been working on over the summer. ~ Vivi_

Chapter Twenty-one

"Come along, you three. You're going to have to tell your parents about what you've been up to." Cece began to herd the girls towards the doors. "You, too, Miss Maddie. I'm certain that this was your idea."

"I'll take them." Hermione said. "I want to see Sirius come unglued at seeing his daughter in make-up."

"A movie tonight with Fred?" Ginny questioned as she lay a grumpy Lily on her shoulder.

"Maddie and I usually see a movie on Saturday nights." Cece bit her lip. "You know I didn't see that one coming. My daughter, the ultimate manipulator."

"Well, she was quite taken with George, so it wouldn't be hard to see her being this way about Fred."

"I think Harry was heartbroken that Hermione gets more of the girl's attention." Ginny replied. "I really don't think its a good thing that she takes everything the twins tell her so seriously."

"Come on, Ginny, they both love her and wouldn't do anything to hurt Mads. She's a smart cookie like her mum." Katie grinned. "Os and Es," she shook her head. "I was so happy that those potions of the twins are now being made by someone who knows what they are doing. George told me that you got all of your NEWTs with Os and Es. He said you about bit his head off about it."

"I apologised. It's hard to come out of Hufflepuff and have people not think you're some brainless twit." Cece sighed as she sat down with Katie.

"Poor baby." Katie teased. "I don't want to be nosy but what about Maddie's dad?" She asked when Ginny had left to lay the baby down.

"I was married." Katie looked at the brunette in surprise. "Chad was sweet and wonderful. We dated for over a year before we got married, took a trip into the mountains of Tennessee and got married in a small chapel, a spur of the moment decision. I never doubted that he loved me, but there was always something off about our relationship. You know, something missing and I've only recently figured out what that was. We were on our way back home and we got into an accident. A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel. Chad died instantly and I barely had a scratch. Magic, you know and self-preservation. I was a widow after only three days, crazy isn't it?"

"Oh, Cece."

"My family was great. I wasn't sure how any of them would take me doing something like that. It wasn't like me. I've always been the steady, boring one of the bunch. Can you imagine how they would react to finding out that I'm working in a joke shop."

"And carrying on with your boss." Katie teased trying to lighten the mood.

"Sylvie would be horrified and Julie would be cheering me on."

"That's why I think I'll like Julie the best when we finally meet." Fred announced as he came up behind the pair and kissed Cece's cheek. "Miss me?"

"What? You mean you weren't here?" She quipped. "Maddie is very upset with me because we aren't going to see a movie."

"Aw, I wanted to get you alone in a darkened room."

"Fred, if we went to the cinema it would be to watch a movie."

"Tease," he whispered in her ear.

"But you love me." Cece teased.

"Oh, I don't know." He said coming around the front of the couch. "You won't take me anywhere public."

"Fred, we aren't going to the cinema." She said in exasperation. "Maddie got in trouble and if I let in this time, it will set a standard and she'll think that I can be hoodwinked easily, especially since she already tried to use you as the reason why we should go."

"Me?" He squeaked to Katie's amusement.

"Well, yes, she seems to think that I'm soft when it comes to you."

"Aren't you?"

"Fred!"

"I mean I'd like to think that..."

"Fred Weasley!" Cece's eyes narrowed as she got up off the couch.

"Now, Ce." He said putting up his hand in surrender.

Charlie, who had decided to come in to get a drink watched from the doorway. He had come into the living room because of hearing his brother's name said in such a tone and at first thought that this was the Natalie, he had heard his parents complain about Fred getting serious about but that didn't seem right, especially since Fred wasn't calling her by that name. He decided that he would simply watch like Katie seemed to be and see what happened.

"I can't believe that you..."

Fred seemed to have his own way of dealing with the irate brunette, because he reached out and pulled her into his arms, silencing her with a kiss. When he let go, she didn't look like she could remember her name, let alone what they had been arguing about. She smiled up at Fred. "I love it when you fight dirty."

"And I love fighting dirty with you." Fred replied.

Katie burst into laughter at this point. She gathered herself together. "See, I was right. You're prefect for each other."

"You said so, I said so, George said so, and yet, it still took Fred forever to make his mind up." Ginny announced as she came back into the room. "And luckily that finally happened because I was thinking of locking you into a closet or something until you came to the conclusion the rest of us already had."

"The two of you are incredibly hardheaded." Katie agreed.

"Hey, don't look at me." The brunette grinned at the two females. "He had a girlfriend and I am not that kind of girl."

"So it's all my fault?" Fred asked, looking rather amused.

"Yes," she answered, "but I've decided that you can make it up to me. It's just going to take a while."

"I have no problem with that."

"Well, I'm going into sugar-shock, what do you say we head outside, so the rest of the family can put up with the lovebirds as well."

"Oh." Cece pulled away from Fred, looking surprisingly worried.

"Ce? What's wrong?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "She thinks mum doesn't like her."

"She does."

"Like you?" Katie asked.

"No."

"Cece, everyone likes you." Ginny announced to Charlie's amusement. "You're a very likeable person." She paused as if thinking. "Well, there is the fact that you were in Hufflepuff."

"And you did willingly play quidditch against us." Katie added nodding sagely.

"And you were a prefect." Fred added. "What could I be thinking?" He leaned down and nuzzled the brunnette. "Oh, I remember." He gave her a wink.

"Now as amusing as all of this has been to watch," Charlie announced.

"Charlie!" Ginny squealed hugging him.

"Have you met Cece?" Katie asked, motioning to the brunette. "She's come as an answer to our prayers and stolen Fred away from snarky Natalie."

"Well then, this is really a party." Charlie grinned at the brunette. "Nice to meet you, Cece. I suppose the little one that looks just like you is yours?"

"That's Maddie." Fred grinned, wrapping an arm around the brunette. "Isn't she a handful?" He asked, proudly as if he had a hand in it.

"So, you don't think Mum likes you? Have you heard the stories about Bill and Fleur?"

"She wasn't too keen on me, either." Katie replied. "I don't know if she had all that much choice with Penny."

"Hermione was already part of the family and if Ron hadn't fallen into line and married her..." Fred shook his head.

"I suppose you could say it was the same as Harry." Ginny replied thoughtfully.

"Just don't let her see that you're worried." Charlie replied.

"I love you and that's what matters." Fred said causing his brother to stare slightly wide-mouthed at the pair.

_A few hours later..._

Fred stared moodily at where Cece was chatting with Peony, Tonks, and Fleur. He didn't know why he agreed to this crazy idea of hers. She had nothing to prove to his mother, but she wanted Molly to like her before they announced that they were seeing each other. Everyone who knew what was going on had been highly amused to agree to the idea but at the same time, quick to make side comments to him that he was certain that his parents and Percy and Penny, the only adults who weren't in on it, were getting rather confused if not suspicious.

"You keep looking at her as if you're starving and she's your favourite meal." Bill said as he eyed his brother for a moment.

"That's a pretty good description." Charlie grinned. "I have noticed that Mum's been giving the girl an eyeing as if she's going to steal the china or something."

Fred frowned. "She has?"

"And did you see the way Mum's been eyeing Maddie while she's running about with the rest of the kids?" Bill said.

"Has she?" George asked frowning slightly. "I thought the whole single mum thing might set her off a bit but really..."

"Why would it set Mum off?" Fred's gaze darkened. "Cece's great with Maddie."

"But what about Maddie's father?" Ron as usual could be expected to ask the blunt questions. Arthur, who had just joined the boys, was surprised at the look Fred gave his younger brother. "What?" Ron shrugged. "It's a good question."

"He's dead." Fred said quietly as he turned his attention back to Cece who was now watching her daughter play. "He was a muggle and they were married for a short time. He was killed in a car accident before Maddie was born."

Arthur watched his son as he watched the brunette. He had a feeling that something was going on between the pair. He opened his mouth, but stopped when Fred stood up and left the table.

Fred nodded and exchanged greetings with Ginny, Harry, Sirius, and Remus before leaning towards Cece and whispering into her ear. "You're killing me. I wake up with you on my mind and I can't touch you, even after having to ignore the urge to ravish you all week while at work together." He watched as she turned a lovely shade of red. "Do you want me to tell Mum to back off?" He gave her a wink.

"No, I... I don't know?" Cece sighed.

_Across the lawn..._

"Look at that." Arthur murmured to his wife.

"Look at what, dear?" Molly asked as she scanned the yard.

"Fred and Ginny's friend, Cece, although I suppose that I could say that she's everyone's friend."

Molly's eyes narrowed as she watched the pair. While they were in the middle of a group of people, they were leaning towards each other talking lowly. Cece's attention went towards Sirius and even while she spoke to the dark haired wizard, Fred seemed to watch her. Fred turned to talk with Harry about something but every so often his head would turn towards the brunette as if to make sure she hadn't moved.

"Hmm."

"I heard that the reason that its only her and Maddie it that her husband died before she gave birth."

Molly's head snapped towards her husband. Her eyes full of curiosity. "Is that so?"

"All those times that Val has been gone on the weekends, most of them were spent at Cece's house."

Percy hearing this announced. "I heard that she's also a great baby-sitter in a pinch. She's agreed to watch the children for Penny and I so we can attend that gathering I was telling you about. Fred groaned loudly when I arranged this but it might just have been that he was tired of hearing about the Ministry."

"Yeah, I'm sure that was it." Bill agreed with a laugh. "Did you hear the great news?" When his parents and brother looked at him in question, he grinned. "Fred broke it off with Natalie, seems something or should I say someone else has taken over his attention." He made a motion towards the pair. Fred had obviously given up hiding his feelings for Cece because as she stood next to him talking, he had his hand possessively on the small of her back. "I ran into her at Gringotts, oddly enough she has this family vault but claims to be muggleborn."

"She inherited a load from some magical family that died out except through a squib that she descended from. She can't sit still, that's why she works for us." George replied. "Of course, she's a gem with helping with the potions and all. Look at her." Cece had left the group she had been talking to and was now chatting with Katie and Hermione.

Percy snickered as Fred seemed to be caught between talking with Harry and following the brunette like a puppy. "How long have they been together?"

"About a week, but Fred's fancied her since fifth year, took months of close contact for him to take the bludger and ask her out." George looked over at his mum who was staring thoughtfully at Cece. "They've been trying to hide it because Cece seems to think that she needs you to like her for things to work out between her and Fred."

Molly looked uncomfortable. "Is that so?"

"We all told her that it was bollocks, especially with the way Fred is with her, but Cece is one of those amazing finds, completely unaware of being anything really great."

Molly watched as the great find looked up at her son as he approached. Her entire face seemed to light up and Fred wasn't much better. It wasn't until they had returned to the Burrow that Arthur reminded his wife of the conversation that he had with Fred. It would seem that it had been about Cece not Natalie after all.

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	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_It's been a while but I plan on adding the last few chapters of this story and then I might start posting another story that I've been working on over the summer. ~ Vivi_

Chapter Twenty-two

Maddie gave her mother a dark look as they arrived at the house, giving Cece an idea what was in store for her. "You're so unfair."

"I believe I'm completely fair." Cece countered. "You did something wrong and you got in trouble for it."

"You're so mean!"

"That's enough, Madeline. Go to your room."

"Fred would..."

"I would and do agree with your mother, Maddie. You did wrong and now we won't be going to the cinema tonight." Fred announced before looking at the little girl, who's eyes seemed to fill with tears, before she fled up the stairs. "Oh, um..."

"That was rather impressive." Cece announced. "Pretty good for a first-timer."

"How good?" He asked, pinning her against the wall that she had been leaning against. "Good enough for this?" He bypassed her lips and placed light kisses on her jawline before giving her ear a nip.

"Oh, most certainly."

"What about this?" He pulled her more into him and began to kiss her.

"Mum!" They broke apart at the call and Fred went up the stairs behind Cece. Maddie was standing in the doorway of her bedroom with a hangdog expression.

"Madeline, no yelling."

"Well, its a big house." Fred snickered and received a dark look from Cece and a grin from Maddie.

"What did you want?"

"I wanted to say I was sorry for getting into your make-up."

"Okay, but we're still not going to see a movie."

Maddie sighed. "Okay, but the two of you aren't still mad at me, are you?"

Cece shook her head, and Fred grinned at the kid. "Not a bit."

She looked down at the floor and then back up at Fred. "Can we go see a movie some other time?"

"I believe that going to see movies is something that you and your mum do every weekend." Maddie nodded in response. "Would you mind if I joined you sometimes?"

She beamed at him. "No, I wouldn't mind at all!"

_Elsewhere, a month later..._

Natalie tapped her nail on the top of her desk as she thought over what she could do to break up Fred and his clumsy brunette. The easiest thing would, of course, make it appear like she and Fred still had a thing going or maybe just rekindling their affection for each other. Her lips curved, with the pair working together that wouldn't be all that difficult. The brunette really had nothing on her as far as looks went.

Actually, since Natalie wasn't interested in Fred anymore and only wanted to wreak some havoc in the redhead's life since he had the audacity to drop her like a bad potion, it wouldn't be that hard at all. A scene a few quick words and the brunette would be history. She smiled at that thought. She knew exactly when and how to strike.

_Hogsmeade..._

George let out a breath in relief when he walked into the backroom and for the second time in a week found Cece and Fred together, working on separate projects. It seemed that the pair had gotten rather comfortable with each other, although there was still some lovey-dovey stuff but it was to a more acceptable level. They still seemed to search each other out when they arrived on their own at a gathering but they were less like lovestruck and rather horny teenagers. Of course, if they wanted to use the workroom on occasion, that was why it had a door and he and Katie were guilty of that.

"Good morning, lovebirds!" He grinned largely at the pair. He pulled out the box of their newest product. "Congratulations, Cece, welcome to the wonderful world of joke inventing."

"Isn't that what I've been doing all along?" She asked, reading the information printed on the box.

"Not really, you've just been blindly doing what we've told you."

"Oh, thanks." She laughed.

"This time, we came up with idea and you came up with a way to make it work and without the pesky side effects that we've been dealing with on the other prototypes." Fred announced taking the box from the brunette's hands and brushing his lips against hers. "I've got to pick up that package from Diagon Alley.

George watched as Cece let out a sigh and sunk onto the stool near the workbench and put her head in her hands. He frowned because he found this to be rather odd behaviour for her at any time let alone, since she and Fred seemed doing quite well. His frown deepened because now that he thought about it, there was something off about Fred as well. His twin's smiles have been a bit brittle and he had snarled the other day but George had thought that it had something to do with the problem he was having with an experiment. "Cece," he began.

She gave him a look that reminded him a bit too much of his mother back when she first found out about the mail orders back in the summer before his sixth year. "Yes, George?"

"Is everything okay?"

She looked at him as if he asked if she saw that the grass was now growing pink naturally. "Yeah, why?" He frowned, there was tension in her voice as well, a thin layer that she hid well. "George? Is there something wrong?"

"What's going on with you and Fred?"

She grimaced. "George, do really think that if there's something going on that he wouldn't have already told you?"

He looked at her. "Is there something that's not going on in your relationship?" His eyes widened when she didn't answer but her grimace deepened. Suddenly he remembered his conversation with Fred after the pair had babysat at Ginny's the first time. He let out a low laugh.

"George," she practically growled causing him to burst into full laughter. She stormed out and almost on cue, Fred appeared carrying a rather large box.

"Fred," George shook his head at him. "What are you doing?"

"Picking up the usual weekly supplies from the apothecary," answered Fred, questioningly.

"I meant with Cece."

"We're dating."

"I've noticed something about the two of you."

"And what would that be?"

"You don't kiss her."

Fred looked blankly at his twin. "I just kissed her before leaving to get this." He motioned towards the box.

"I would call that a peck more than anything." George raised a brow. "Have you shagged her?"

"What?" Fred thundered and Lani who was getting something for the front poked her head in the room in question. After a glance, she darted back out and George closed the door.

"It's an easy question and the two of you have been dating for about a month and from the story Ron had of the night the two of you finally got your stuff together... I would have thought it had already happened, but it hasn't. So, the question is why? It's not Cece because that girl seems rather frustrated at the moment."

"I just can't rush things with Cece. I mean if I was to make the wrong move..."

"I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't mind at all if you made _a_ move."

"And there's Maddie..."

"I don't think the kid is involved with this part of the relationship."

"You know what I mean. What if Cece and I got," he made a motion, "and she came in..."

"Yes, because you and Cece wouldn't think to lock the door? If you think she's going to be loud, I'd suggest a silencing charm as well." He grinned. "Although, it being a Friday night, you could probably suggest that Maddie goes and stays with one of her little friends, you know just so you won't have to think of such things the first time around."

"George, you're not helping things."

"I thought that you wanted and had to have Cece. I didn't think you just wanted her on a pedestal. I thought you meant in your bed."

"George." He threatened.

"Just for once don't over-think it and shag your sexually frustrated girlfriend." George grinned. "If you don't fix this, I'm gonna have to get Bill. After all, he did fix the whole kissing thing." He apparated before his twin thought to hex him.

_A half an hour before closing..._

"Fred?" Cece asked as she opened the door that he hadn't bothered to open. He smiled and motioned her inside. "Hey, its really slow out there, is it okay for Lani to leave early? I told her she should ask but for some reason she's pretty vehement about not wanting to bother you."

He grimaced. "Yeah, that's fine but if you need any help closing up, give me a call."

"Okay."

"Oi, Cece, wait a minute before you go back out of there?"

She looked at him questioningly. She was slightly confused when Fred moved across the room and grabbed her hands until he pulled her into an embrace. He brushed her lips lightly and she was ready for him to let her go like he had started doing after talking to Maddie the night after she met the rest of his family but instead he placed his lips more firmly to hers and deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his chest. He dug his fingers into her hair.

He pulled back after a while and between light kisses on her lips announced between each one. "I...would...keep...you...here...until...I...was...done...with...you...but...then...I...wouldn't...ever...be...able...to...let...you...go." Before steering her out the door.

Flushed with her lips a bit puffy from being fully kissed, Cece came back out into the showroom where Lani was waiting. The dark-haired girl looked her coworker over and cheekily announced. "I would have gone in there if I knew that was the treatment I would have got." She winked when the brunette. All of the employees who worked at the Hogsmeade store seemed to take the relationship between her in stride and took great delight in teasing Cece but not in front of their bosses because while she knew they didn't mean anything by it, Fred seemed a bit protective of her. "You might want to fix your hair." She watched in amusement as she tried to piece her hair back into the French twist had been in when she went into the back. "I'd just pull it down and be done with it."

"Thanks, Lani." Cece unclipped her hair and gave it a shake. "You can go now."

"Terrific!" She started in again about the wizard she was going out with that night and neither of them noticed the dark-haired witch that apparated into the backroom and watched them. Natalie eyed the two women in their magenta robes. She ducked behind the door to the basement when the short dark haired one came in to grab her bag. "Bye, Cece, you're a gem."

"Have fun!" Fred's brunette called back before going over to do something at the register.

Natalie kept her eye on the closed workroom door as well as the brunette and when she went to lock the front door, it was time. Natalie quietly opened and then closed the door. Fred was standing with his back to the door while he worked on something. She was a little surprised because this was a side of him, she hadn't been aware of. She moved soundlessly across the floor and wrapped her arms around his waist. As she knew he would, Fred froze for a second before assuming it was the only other person he knew was in the building and grabbing her wrist had pulled her around him to kiss her before he realised his mistake.

Cece opened the door to the workroom, wondering if Fred would take up where he left off or simply leave off again just as Fred pulled Natalie from behind him. It felt like her heart twisted and her stomach dropped into her shoes. While she couldn't help but believe her eyes, she couldn't believe that he would do this to her. She moved to turn when she heard his voice and response to the dark haired witch.

"Natalie, get off," he growled as he pushed the dark-haired witch off him but she continued to cling.

"Fred darling, you know you forgive me." She trilled loudly.

"Get off me, dammit."

Cece cleared her throat and watched in interest as Natalie shot her a triumphant look before turning her attention back to Fred. Obviously, she didn't think Cece had heard what was being said. Fred, on the other hand, opened his mouth to say something, when Natalie once more tired to wrap herself around. Pure amusement filled Cece at the look on Fred's face as he faced the dark-haired witch. "I'll just leave you two to sort this out." She announced and was almost proud of the way she removed any and all emotion from her voice and kept her face straight. If she hadn't been sure, she would have been at the panic in Fred's eyes as he tried to pull Natalie off of him would have been all the proof she would need. She chortled quietly as she grabbed up her things and apparated home to wait for Fred to show up.

She had agreed to let Maddie stay the weekend with Andie since it was the little girl's birthday and their other two best friends would be joining them. She was going to have the house to herself until late Sunday night and was off for the weekend. So, she tossed her robe into the dirty clothes, her shoes into her closet and took up her favourite spot in the library in an oversized and overstuffed lounge chair. She flipped through a book of poetry absently and waited to see how long it took Fred to show up. It didn't take long before she heard a pop and and a rather cautious call.

"Cece?"

"In the library," she called and continued to flip through the book. She barely gave a glance to him, but stood up and and put the book back and looked through the titles that Severus had left there. She had been rather surprised to see some of the muggle titles that the Potion Master had seemed to like considering their condition. "Why don't you have a seat and we'll talk about what I walked in on?" Her voice shook and had she been facing Fred, he would have noticed the amusement deep in her eyes, but since he couldn't he seemed to fear the worst.

He took a seat in the chair she had vacated and dropped his head onto the back. His eyes stared unfocused on the ceiling because he just kept seeing the stony look Cece had given him when she found him and Natalie. He couldn't meet her eyes and see it again as when she moved in front of him. So, therefore, he was it came as a surprise when she moved forwards so that she was against the edge of the chair.

Cece watched as shock seemed to take place over the hopeless look on Fred's face when she knelt on the chair with her knees on either side of him after gathering up her skirt. She smiled and placing her hands to his shoulders pushed him back into the chair.

"Cece?" Fred questioned. He wasn't certain exactly what she was up to but so far he liked it and when she settled herself into his lap and began to press light kisses along his neck, he was certain this was this was a delusion brought on by the stress of having to deal with the actions of his ex. Her lips slowly moved until her mouth was right next to his ear. Her breath rushed across his ear and he shivered. He moved his hands from the arms of the chair onto her waist and pulled her slightly closer. "Ce?"

"I do believe that you made me a promise, Mr. Weasley." She purred into his ear before darting out her tongue and tracing the edge of his ear with the tip. "And I know for a fact how much your word means to you."

Groaning, Fred moved so he could capture her lips with his own and when they broke apart, he replied. "Almost as much as you."

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	24. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe.**

_It's been a while but I plan on adding the last few chapters of this story and then I might start posting another story that I've been working on over the summer. ~ Vivi_

Epilogue

_A little over a year later..._

"Katie's still mad because he hasn't said ma ma, just keeps saying da da." George let out a laugh before eyeing his twin, who had arrived at the Burrow without his wife or step-daughter but then Maddie had already been there playing with Val. George, of course, knew that Fred was there by himself because they had arrived together after fixing a bit of a problem with a project.

"Three months married and already, Cece is no where to be seen, whatcha do?" Charlie asked. He was once more the reason for the entire family to get together. This time, he had a rather pretty auburn haired Irish girl with him.

"She'll be here." Fred replied. The most of the adults of the family, where in the living room, when Maddie, who had gone home with Val after school because of dinner being at the Burrow, came hurrying in. The little girl had quickly adapted to Fred being a part of her life.

"Miles says that Star is going to have puppies!"

It took Fred a moment to understand that she was talking about their neighbour who delivered pizzas and his dog. "Is that so?"

Maddie nodded. "He says I can have one of the puppies if its okay. Can I, can I please, daddy?"

Fred froze and by the lack of sound in the room, so did everyone else, except the little girl, who was standing before him, looking expectant. "Well, we'll have to see what your mum has to say." He eyed her, unsure of how she would react.

"Okay," she gave a nod. "I'm gonna go back out to play, is that okay, dad?"

This time Fred grinned widely at the name. "Sure thing, princess." He watched her disappear out of the room before meeting George's eyes. "She's never called me that before. I hope Ce doesn't mind."

"Doesn't mind what?" Ginny asked as she and Harry arrived.

"Maddie has decided to start calling Fred dad. Or at least, that's what I got." Charlie replied.

"Oh, I'm sure she won't." She looked about the room and frowned. "Where is she anyway?" She asked quietly sitting down next to Fred, since she wasn't interested in the conversation everyone else was having.

"She had a healer's appointment."

"Has she been sick?"

"No, no." Fred answered seeing the worry in his sister's eyes. He whispered, so only she could hear him. "She might be pregnant." He knew immediately that telling Ginny this wasn't a good idea when she shrieked.

"Cece's pregnant!"

This time the room was so silent that a pin could have been heard if he had had one handy to drop. He opened his mouth to say something, looking around the room at everyone staring at him.

"Wow, Freddy, that would could be rather embarrassing for you to explain if it wasn't true." Cece announced from where she stood in the doorway next to his mum. She looked highly amused and it took him a minute to realise what she had said.

"Really?" He asked as he shot to his feet. She nodded and it took a while for the two of them to get through all the hugs and congratulations of the family and to each other. He pulled her into the kitchen. "I'm sorry I couldn't go with."

"That's okay. I just sat there and got a healer's wand waved at me a few times. Making sure everything's okay."

"And everything's okay?" He asked as he pulled her into his arms.

"Just peachy." She bit her lip. "They told me a couple of things."

"I suppose that means you know what we're having?" He grinned. "Boy or girl."

"Boys."

"Oi, George." His twin peered into the room as did a few of the other family members wondering what Fred had to say. "Ce says its a boy, that means I have one each." George muttered something about still being the cuter twin, when Cece shook her head at the pair.

"That's not what I said."

"Ha! You're going have another little girl to worry about boys over."

"No." Cece replied her lips tilting as everyone stilled at her word and looked at her questioningly. "I didn't say boy."

"Yes, you did." Fred replied, frowning. "I asked if we were having a boy or girl and you said..." He stared at her gapping. "And you, you said..."

"She said what?" Molly looked highly amused.

"I said boys." Cece said with a grin. "As in two little boys. I never mentioned it because, well, I do have three older sibling, all with children and a handful of older cousins but my mom's two older brothers." She shrugged and Molly burst into laughter at the pure shock written on Fred's face.

"Poor Fred." George shook his head. "First, Maddie and now this."

"What did Maddie do?" Cece looked at Fred and then when he didn't answer George.

"Called him dad."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Is that all?" Fred looked at his wife. "You were expecting this?"

"She may have mentioned it to me the other day." She gave a shrug.

"Cece!" He looked at her exasperated.

"I love you, too." She quipped.

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